Legend Reviving
by ChickenGodofDOOM
Summary: In a world full of amazing people, creatures, and yordles- all fit for the title of Legend without a doubt- one man sleeps, forever dreaming of a past life gone by. And when he finally awakes in such a wondrous world filled with things he's never seen before, will he also prove to be worthy of that title of Legend? Or perhaps... even more than that?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is strictly a work of fanfiction using characters and elements from both the _Naruto _world, created by Masashi Kishimoto and the _League of Legends _world, created by Riot Games. I do not claim to own them, and this story is merely a product of my own imagination, written not for monetary gain, but for my own enjoyment.

* * *

There is no worse feeling than helplessness. Nothing worse than the crushing feeling of despair gnawing at your very marrow as you rail against the unfairness of it all, as you've exhausted all your options- when you've gotten so used to desperation that the word has lost its meaning.

Naruto clenched his fist as he mustered up more youki from the demon within him. It no longer resisted, or even acknowledged the blond's effort or existence. Naruto wasn't even sure if the titanic fox was still alive. How long had it been since they had last talked?

Too long. But he had no time for idle conversation. The war was too pressing- their situation too dire. When he was not fighting, he was trying desperately to come up with a new technique that would surely, _surely! _turn the tides of the battle. And when he was too tired to do this, he slept- a tortured slumber full of the screams of the dead and dying. Were they the ones that he had killed? Or the ones he let die?

But rest he must, if he was to fight on. So he endured this much, in the hope that more would not be added to the cacophony inside his nightmares.

However, that rest was merely a wishful fantasy to him right now- cornered by a relentless enemy, hunting him, baying for his blood and the demon energy that lay within him. An enemy that didn't pause, didn't rest… an enemy as numerous as the stars in the sky, whose number only grew with each passing day.

"DAAAAAMNNNN YOUUUUU!" he howled as he tossed a huge youki-fuelled Rasengan into the white soldiers in front of him.

No time for fancy techniques here. Just the most basic staple of his arsenal, amped up with as much power as he could spare.

It did its job, however and briefly blew a bloody path open to freedom. Naruto darted through the opening, knowing that the white soldiers did not fear, and did not hesitate. The gap in their ranks would not be open for very long, and he was not sure he had the chakra to use on more Rasengans.

He stopped for the briefest of moments on the branch of a tree to catch his breath, but that was the most rest he could spare. He had a long way to go until he reached the Allied Shinobi Headquarters.

He gave a ragged sigh and urged his pain-racked, exhausted body into motion.

* * *

"What's the situation?"

Tsunade looked up from the enormous map on the table, an eyebrow raised.

"Not telling," she said, seeing the newcomer, "You look like shit. Go get some rest."

Naruto staggered to the desk and collapsed into one of the hard seats in front of it.

"Just gimme the lowdown, old lady," he half-slurred, the slightest hint of a smile flickering briefly onto his face as he used the familiar nickname, "I need to know how bad it is."

Tsunade glanced back down at the map, crisscrossed with pins and red strings.

"Not good," she said gravely, "We got maybe a week at best before we get overwhelmed."

"Can't we do anything? I tried to reach that outpost you said that had the Iwa ninja, but it was already overrun by the time I got there. I barely escaped with my life."

Tsunade sighed and gruffly murmured, "I feared as much."

Naruto sank his head in his hands, and sent some lightning chakra through his body to keep himself awake.

"How're the civilians holding up?" he asked.

Tsunade shook her head.

"Not well. The evacuation arks are running out of food. This war is dragging on for too long. Madara will win a war of attrition. His soldiers don't need sustenance. If this goes on… we won't be under the spell of his Moon's Eye Plan; we'll be dead instead. I'm not sure that it wouldn't be better to surrender just so the civilians will survive."

Naruto slammed his fist onto the table, dislodging several pins.

"I won't give in to that bastard!" he snarled, eyes turning red, "I refuse! I would rather die than live in a lie! Die a thousand times over!"

Suddenly, Tsunade coughed wetly into a balled fist, and then ran a palm covered in mystical green chakra over her throat.

Naruto's angry expression disappeared immediately, replaced with one of concern.

"What's wrong, granny?" he asked worriedly, "You alright?"

Tsunade waved off his concern.

"I'm fine, brat," she said, although her voice was rather hoarse, "But back to what you were saying… you might prefer oblivion to a life in illusion… but others might not. The majority of this world's inhabitants- the civilians… they're not as strong-willed as you. They would rather live out their false lives in blissful ignorance than to struggle through this war with you."

Naruto gritted his teeth.

"I know," he said shortly, and in that one short phrase, Tsunade heard the first veins of defeat and hopelessness in the voice that until now had seemed so indomitable, bellowing out encouragements and war cries in abundance.

She knew, because that same tone was what she struggled to keep out of her own voice, day after day.

"Cheer up," she said, as brightly as she could, "We're relocating again tomorrow morning, this time to somewhere that might hold our last beacon of hope against Madara."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yeah? What is it? Where are we going this time?"

Tsunade shook her head.

"It's a secret. But we're moving the headquarters tomorrow for sure, so go tell Division Leaders One and Two to meet me here as soon as they can, please. Oh, and get some rest after that, Naruto. You really _do _look like shit."

* * *

"This is your big plan?" asked Naruto, incredulously, "It's just some hollow mountain. What are we gonna do? Hole the entire population in here until Madara gets bored and dies?"

"Mmm…" said Tsunade non-committedly, "Not really."

But just as the final syllable left her mouth, she darted forward and tapped Naruto's forehead, an enormous amount of chakra flooding from her palm into his body. Naruto felt himself bonelessly flopping to the ground as he lost all strength in his muscles. He wasn't sure what Tsunade had done, but he had a feeling it was something to do with his nerves.

Growling to himself, he started to flood his body with lightning-natured chakra, trying to reconnect whatever had been disconnected. He wasn't unduly concerned with doing damage to himself, as he knew that it would naturally fix itself in due course because of his inhuman regeneration and healing- courtesy of both his jinchuuriki status and his Uzumaki heritage.

But what concerned him right now was the farce that was going on around him.

"What are you playing at, Tsunade?" he roared, using her name in his fury, "Why'd you go and do that?"

Tsunade ignored him and gestured to Yamato, who had been standing next to her.

"Do it, Tenzo."

Naruto's growl only intensified as wooden totems grew from the ground and sucked away the youki he had reflexively gathered when he had been attacked.

"You better be joking about this, Tsunade… I can't believe you would just betray me like that."

Tsunade didn't meet his eyes as she got Yamato to lift Naruto's prone form.

"It's for your own good," she said, and it was with said with such broken tenderness, such naked love, that Naruto was taken aback.

It was not the callousness he expected- rather, it was so warm that it touched his heart, hardened from years of constant war. This wasn't a simple betrayal.

So he stayed silent as Yamato followed Tsunade into the next room in the mysterious mountain stronghold, wondering what was going to happen.

Was she going to kill him? If that were the case, he would rather die by her hand than Madara's. Perhaps she had some plan, some elaborate fuuinjutsu to seal away the Kyuubi so that when Naruto died, Madara wouldn't obtain the final piece to completing his Moon's Eye Plan?

_No… the Tsunade I know would not allow another of her loved ones to die if she had any say in the matter whatsoever, _thought Naruto, _Not after Dan and Nawaki. She'd rip open hell's gates with her bare hands if she had to._

_So… what is she up to?_

Yamato stopped in the middle of the room, or so Naruto presumed, as he could only see the floor from how he was being carried- like a sack of potatoes over the other man's shoulder.

It was a strange floor. It was covered with arcane fuuinjutsu symbols- black symbols that formed esoteric symbols and patterns, laid out and interacting in intricate ways. Naruto was not a stranger to seals- his mentor, Jiraiya, and both his parents were some of the Elemental Nation's most accomplished seal-masters in their day. He had dabbled in the art himself and was no novice by any means of the word, but he to this day could not shake the unsettling feeling that the seals _moved _when he wasn't looking at them directly. Maybe it was a side-effect of their monochromaticism, but the disturbing sensation of being watched, and of things moving subtly in his peripheral, continued to disturb him every time he laid down his brush.

Ninjutsu was his calling, he decided the first time he could put a name to the uncomfortable feeling that had besieged him whenever he practised his fuuinjutsu.

But for once, the black squiggles and lines was not the strangest feature in the scenery. The floor that he was looking at, although covered in fuuinjutsu for whatever reason, was _blue. _It was also slightly translucent, as if it was made of murky glass or something.

Such a peculiar place to be taken.

He expressed this sentiment when Yamato set him down in the middle of the circular room, and from what eyes could see, the whole room was like the floor- made of the strange blue material and covered in scrawling fuuinjutsu symbols.

Tsunade looked at him, and Naruto could see the tears in her eyes clearly now.

_That's weird, _he thought absentmindedly, _She's not gonna kill me… I think. Why's she crying, then? Has she given up? Or is she gonna kill me after all?_

"Can we get some time alone, Tenzo?" she said, and her voice was steady despite the emotions clear on her face.

Yamato nodded and left swiftly, somehow walking _through _the wall. Naruto noticed then that the room didn't have any openings (like doors) that would blemish the perfect circularity of the space. Still, the wall which Yamato had walked through looked _really solid _for an illusion. But then again, Naruto had always sucked at genjutsu, so what did he know?

Tsunade knelt down to get to eye level with Naruto, whose body still stubbornly refused to move.

"Naruto…" she said tenderly, "I'm sorry… but there's no other way-"

"Stop," interrupted Naruto brokenly, "I don't need to hear your excuses… just tell me what you're going to do."

"You're not going to like it."

"I don't care. I trust you… you're the Hokage for a reason. You have to make these decisions, even if they're hard… and I have to accept it, even if I don't want to."

Tsunade let a small smile grace her face.

"You never let that stop you before, brat," she said gruffly, giving him a soft noogie, "… I'm gonna miss you."

"Oh, get to the point," Naruto said, "You're dragging this on for too long, you'll make me tear up like you, you sentimental woman. I don't even know what your brilliant plan is yet, anyway."

Tsunade closed her eyes, and gathered her composure, drawing on her experience as Hokage to prepare herself.

"I'm going to seal you away in this crystal monolith," she said seriously.

"I… see," said Naruto slowly.

"That's it? 'I see?' Is that all you're going to say? I thought you would've protested harder," said Tsunade in surprise.

Naruto's facial muscles twitched.

"Well, it's not like I can do anything about it in this situation," he said petulantly, "And I think… I knew, deep inside, that we weren't going to win at this rate. Madara's army is endless and undying… Madara himself is pretty much invincible. I would've chosen to fight, but you know me and I know you would've factored that in and chosen the best course of action anyway."

Tsunade swallowed.

"Yes… we need to stop him from completing his plan and keep him from obtaining the Kyuubi. The rest of us might be doomed without your help, but at least we won't go obediently into oblivion."

"But why sealing?"

"Because it's the most surefire way of ensuring that Madara will not get the Kyuubi. Killing you or extracting the bijuu will let it reincarnate in a couple of years, and just hiding will only delay the inevitable… and I'm sure you wouldn't want to live the rest of your life out cowering like a rat. However, sealing… keeps it in a state that, unless Madara finds this monolith and unseals you… you'll be forever out of his grasp."

Naruto frowned.

"And what stops him from finding me?"

"Being sealed will keep your chakra in stasis, where it won't leak out. Even the best sensor in the world won't be able to track your chakra, or Kyuubi's. And after we collapse the entrance to this mountain cavern, the ones who know about your location will apply memory seals… meaning that your hiding place will be truly known by no-one."

"You've thought about this a lot, haven't you, granny," said Naruto jokingly, although he couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice.

"Yeah… and Naruto? I had one more reason to seal you away. A selfish, selfish reason."

"Yeah?"

"I hope… that one day, when I'm gone… and Madara's gone… and all of this war is gone, and people once again repopulate the world, and have forgotten all this mess…you'll wake up, and start a new life in that new world. Because I truly, truly, believe that you are the best and most pure human being I've ever met. And more than, that… I love you, Naruto, and I don't want you to die before me."

Tsunade slid her hand around his nape and pressed his face into her chest. And while normally he would have yelled out "granny tits, eww" or some nonsense to avoid any emotional scenes, the wetness he could feel seeping into his hair and the trembling he could feel in the strong grip that held him against her sealed his lips shut. To his belated surprise, he could also, _somehow, _feel a stream of moisture coming from his own eyes.

"I love you too… granny," he all but whispered, "Give that bastard Madara hell."

She hummed softly against him before she laid him down, flat, as if he were just about to go to sleep. And in a way, he _was_ going to sleep. For a long time… maybe forever, even.

She stood up, and although Naruto could no longer see her, he could tell she was drying her tears.

Tsunade cleared her throat, and when next she spoke, it was with a steady tone.

"Alright, I'm going to seal it off now," she said, "Sweet dreams. Maybe you'll wake up, maybe not. Goodbye… and godspeed."

"Strange thing to say," Naruto joked, before his voice turned sober, "Good luck with the war… and maybe I'll see you again, in some better place."

"Not too soon, I should hope," Tsunade joked back, before crouching over and planting one last chaste kiss on his forehead, reminding him of better days, when there was no war, and everything was carefree. When he was still a child and not a soldier, or a killer.

She up and left, and before she exited the presumably soundproof crystal chamber, Naruto heard a hacking cough that was hurriedly stifled.

He knew.

He knew from the beginning.

It was one of the reasons why he accepted being sealed away so readily.

Ever since he had taken Kyuubi's youki for his own and started using it regularly, it had seeped into his own chakra pool. And it was poisoning everyone around him.

It was easy to notice. Teammates falling sick… animals and plants dying around his campsite.

Tsunade knew, although she never said anything. She silently approved his application to be allocated to a solo shinobi role. She arranged for his living arrangements to be moved where he would have the least contact with others, and claimed it was for his protection against Madara.

She knew, and soon became the only one who would have regular contact with him. He had thought it would be okay because of her prodigious healing skill and regeneration, but judging by her worsening coughs, this was not the case. He was _killing _her.

Even if they won the war, Naruto knew he would not be able to live in society ever again. He had thought about the issue at length, when lying in bed at night, unable to sleep, running away from the spectres that haunted his dreams. If, by some miracle, they won the war, he would have to be some kind of hermit, maybe living in the wastes of Suna or the rocky deadlands of Iwa, where his toxic aura would have nothing to eat away. Or maybe, he had considered, he could just kill himself, rid the world of an everpresent potential threat, and allow the Kyuubi to reincarnate and be resealed in someone who wouldn't use its chakra so willingly.

He was still mulling over what-ifs and what-thens when his consciousness drifted away, borne away into oblivion by a shifting wind.

The runes inscribed on his prison glowed ominously, before they, and the walls, gradually faded in luminescence, and cast the room, and its sleeping occupant, into absolute darkness.

* * *

During his deep slumber, Naruto was aware that time had passed. When he was not dreaming extraordinary dreams, filled with strange, fantastical creatures and mystical lights, he was somehow vaguely aware of events beyond his knowledge. Massive loss of life, enormous shifting of the land and sea as aeons passed. He could not see what happened, but at the back of his consciousness, he was sure that change had occurred, and it had left him in its wake.

Naruto awoke, groggy. He was physically the same as before he had been sealed, as if he had not slept at all- his eyes were bright and alert, and his senses were awake and working. However, his mind was slow and sluggish, and seemed to refuse to interpret any of the sensory information that had been given to it.

"Where am I?" he asked aloud, but there was no answer.

He quickly stood up and walked over to where the door had been before he had been sealed.

"Granny?" he called out, although, in his heart, he knew she was long gone.

He placed his hand on where the door should have been. It seemed like solid stone to him.

_Maybe you had to walk into it to go through,_ he thought.

So he tried, and got a face-full of crystal for his efforts. Blood leaked from his nose and splattered onto the blue crystal floor, which, along with the walls, he noticed was now devoid of fuuinjutsu markings.

Then, something strange happened. As he was looking at the floor, he saw the blood droplets, dark against the bright crystal, start to move. They shivered, and then, with a sudden _swoosh _shot up into the air and back into Naruto's still-leaking nose.

"Wha-?" Naruto exclaimed in shock and grabbed at his nose, a little disgusted by whatever had gone up his nostrils.

But, then, to his surprise, he realised that his nose was no longer bleeding. In his scattered reflection in the glassy walls, he could see that even the bloodstains on his face were gone.

"Strange," he murmured as he ran his fingers over his face.

But as he pondered this phenomenon, he was suddenly struck with a thought.

_Maybe that wasn't the right place for the door?_

After all, the room was totally circular and featureless, so the door might've been slightly to the left, and he had missed it by a fraction.

So, Naruto, being the tactical genius that he was, ran into the crystal walls forty-eight times around the circumference of the room, trying to the exit. Lucky for him, any damage that seemed to be done to him was instantly reverted- presumably due to him being sealed- otherwise his nose would be very crooked after that ordeal.

Needless to say, he didn't succeed in finding an exit.

"Okay, then," he said, "If there's no door, then I'll _make _a door!"

He quickly formed a Rasengan and slammed it into the wall.

Or at least, he tried.

As soon as the rapidly spinning ball of chakra touched the wall, it fizzled away into nothingness without leaving a mark. Actually, it was more accurate to say the wall _absorbed _his chakra.

But Naruto was nothing if not stubborn, so he tried a couple more Rasengans, and then even pulled out the big guns like his Rasenshuriken and Planetary Demon Rasengan, just to make sure it wasn't an isolated incident.

It was after he had thrown enough firepower at the wall to level an entire mountain range that he remembered that it was supposed to suppress his chakra and preventing it from leaving the crystal, so of course it would have absorbing properties.

So Naruto sat down and thought about his predicament.

"Oh dear, how am I to get out… Kyuubi, got any ideas?" he asked to no one in particular.

When he got no reply, he wasn't really surprised, as the last time he had spoken to his bijuu was from way before the war even began.

So he directed his question inwards, specifically seeking an answer from the demon that _should _be within.

_Kyuubi? You there?_

Still no reply.

Naruto bit his lip. He hadn't really cared for the demon before his sealing, and had for the most part ignored it after he had wrested control of its youki from it. But now, trapped inside this crystal monolith that seemed to be all but invulnerable, he was suddenly hoping that the fox was still there, just for _some _company on what would otherwise seem to be a horrifyingly lonely existence.

His blood ran cold abruptly as he imagined what it would be like, trapped by himself for all eternity inside the featureless crystal prison.

_I'm heading in, Kyuubi, _he called, although, once again, there was no answer.

* * *

Naruto looked around the dank cavern in dismay. The titanic gates that originally held back the enormous bijuu were cracked and pitted with holes, a memento from the time when Naruto had challenged the demon for use of its youki. But despite this wear and tear, it still held, unyielding, for all the little it was worth.

Because the mountain-sized mass of youki-charged fur behind the seal lay unmoving. Not even the tell-tale heaving that signalled the deep breathing of the fox during its slumber (something Naruto had a couple of times witnessed when he had entered during his younger days) was present.

Naruto cautiously called out its name, and then, when the fur continued to be motionless, yelled it out as loud as he could.

After the echoes had died down, which took a while due to the enormous nature of the room, Naruto was silent, only the sound of dripping water breaking the tense quiet.

It was a long while before Naruto moved. The demon had a long time been a part of him, something to be hated, something that in turn hated him. It was something with power, something that he could use to get stronger, to obtain the strength he needed to protect his precious people. He would gladly rely on its tainted power, allow it to corrupt his core and torture him from within, if it meant his loved ones were safe.

But now, his feelings towards it were complicated. Even if it was a living mass of hatred, it _was _still something that had conversed with him occasionally, and lent him its power, usually to further its agenda of corruption to its own end. Their communication had ended after Naruto had stolen control of its youki away from it, but he had not thought much on the matter, since he had the considerably more important issue of the war to take care of.

Now that it was gone… he was tentatively… sad? Maybe that wasn't the right word to describe his feelings. There was a definite sense of loss… a splash of relief, a tinge of triumph... and an overwhelming sea of loneliness.

Naruto swallowed and touched a worn cage bar, as thick as any Fire Country oak. His eyes were dry, but his hand trembled all the same. He had been standing in quiet reflection for only a few moments, before _something _flashed before his eyes, a vivid moving image. He jerked back, but the ring of the dull roar that had accompanied the image was still ringing in his ears.

He turned to hurry out of his mindscape, because the sensations that had bombarded him during that brief contact with the Kyuubi's seal was not limited to just sight and sound.

And whatever the _taste _that had been in his mouth, it was certainly not beef or chicken. And the feeling of liquid that had run down his chin was no sauce, but _blood._

* * *

Naruto awoke again. He had lost track of how many times he had awoken like this now. It wasn't that there were _so many _that he couldn't count them all, but because the length of time that existed between each one was so _long. _After all, this wasn't a normal slumber that he awoke from, that followed the cycle of night and day.

No, this was the deep sleep of sealing magic.

During the ageless period in which he had been sealed, there were certain lengths of time that Naruto was sure he was awake, and others in which he was asleep, deep in seal-borne stasis. His sense of time was so distorted that he had no idea how long anything was, but he felt as though he was 'awake' or conscious for entire years… where sleep was merely that, mental recuperation and rest. And then, with no warning or sign, he was then 'asleep' for a comparable length of time- again, probably years- where he was as if in a coma, and would not regain consciousness until his next 'awake' period.

Of course, he was not exactly sure about the details of any of this, but it was a very strong gut feeling. There is a certain undercurrent he could feel in his marrow, that told him, with certainty, that _change _had occurred. The stronger the feeling of _change, _the more time he knew had passed in his 'asleep' period of being sealed away.

But with no way to see into the outside world, to witness the shift from the life that had been all he had known prior to his sealing, Naruto was forced to confront a life trapped within an inescapable and featureless prison cell bereft of even a warden or fellow inmates for human contact.

He had cursed Tsunade for the first few days of soul-crushing boredom, but it wasn't in his nature to hold a grudge, especially towards the ones he cared for. He soon forgave her and instead tried to find something to do. But he had nothing… nothing except himself… and his chakra.

Training his body was a fruitless endeavour, a fact he soon found out after consecutive days of furious exercise- his body would not accumulate pain or take muscle damage, but would by the same token not gain any mass or become more defined. The seal kept his body the exact same as he day he had entered the crystal room.

So he had only one option left.

He trained his chakra. Remembering the toxic effect the chakra and youki hybrid he had used as energy had on his surrounds, Naruto spent much of his first 'awake' period painstakingly separating the two energy pools and purifying them for safe use.

It may be unbelievable to some that Naruto, _Naruto, _would be able to spend so much of his time training his chakra… and generally being still, but the power of living in a room with absolutely _no _additional stimuli was not to be underestimated. It also helped that he would never get stiff or sore from sitting down for long periods of time.

So… that was how he spent his 'awake' periods. Chakra training… and longingly daydreaming about one day when he would be freed from this prison and would once again _live_.

Luckily for him, chakra was a fascinating substance, and probably the best possible thing he could have been locked up with. At first, he had questioned the validity of training to use chakra if he might never get out and thus never get the opportunity to use it, but he soon discovered the wonder of chakra after he started experimenting.

Simultaneous creation and destruction… healing, burning, illuminating. Dreams and visions- sharpened steel and crawling darkness. Chakra was all of this and more. The more he delved into the power he had underneath his skin, the more he discovered he had to learn. An entire universe opened out in front of him, pouring, swirling, from inside his core.

It was truly amazing, and he could truly see himself devoting his whole life into studying the extraordinary substance- how in all the nine hells had he missed the beauty of the power he wielded during his younger years?!

But throughout all this, despite his fascination with his study of chakra… before he succumbed to each subsequent 'asleep' period, Naruto couldn't help wishing that the next time he woke up, it would be to the sweet scent of fresh, tree-born air in his nostrils. He wished to hear the thundering of rain, and the chirping of songbirds. He wished, although he was never hungry, to sink his teeth into a big, meaty, drumstick, and slurp up a bowl of his favourite ramen.

And, more than anything else, he wished to talk and see another human being.

* * *

A red-haired woman leaned back on the barrel she was using as a makeshift chair, stretching out her back, and hearing the satisfying crack of her spine straightening out. She was proud of her breasts, but gods if they didn't hang heavy at times!

She stood up, picked up the items on the table, and waved jauntily at the young blond man behind it.

She put the object in her left hand, her prized tricorne hat, securely on her head, and strode out the door. The other object, a worn piece of parchment that seemed to scream out 'treasure map', was held tight in her fist.


	2. Chapter 2

A word from the author: Can you believe the hardest part of writing this chapter was deciding what name to use when writing Miss Fortune? In the end, I went with what Riot used in their (probably now outdated) lore- that is, her oft-neglected given name, Sarah. Hopefully it's not too confusing. Also, this is the last of the chapters I had prepped in advance- the wait for the next chapter will unfortunately be much longer than the one for this one was.

* * *

Sarah 'Miss' Fortune stood at the front of her ship, one foot planted firmly on the bowsprit. They had been sailing north from Bilgewater for quite some days now, and if the course of the ship had remained true, then the southern-most point of Ionia should come into sight any moment now.

She pulled out a small extendable telescope and placed it to one eye, the ruffles on her shirt flapping in the briny sea wind.

"Rowan, shift the ship a few degrees starboard," she called.

"Aye… captain," said the grizzled helmsman in response, turning the enormous steering wheel minutely.

Sarah put the telescope away and turned around to inspect how her crew were doing. They were hard men, rough and brusque, socially blunted after years on the unforgiving seas, but they were- on the whole- good men. They followed the commands of their captain dutifully, and steadfastly pledged their loyalty to her with ferocity that wouldn't be out of place on the most savage of dogs… but she knew- even if they would never admit it themselves- that they would much prefer it if their captain had sported a penis instead of breasts.

So that naturally caused some friction, and sometimes they got a little unruly or rebellious, and she'd have to step in and give them some discipline, but it never got to the point of mutiny. Because in the end, despite her gender, Sarah Fortune was one of the most worthy seafarers on the waves. She had excellent weather-sense, knew her way around a ship as well as any man, and most important of all, could easily hold her own in a fight. Other pirates or privateers knew to avoid the swift ship with the crimson sails, knowing full well that it was Miss Fortune's vessel- a ship that needed no cannons, only the dual oversized magic muskets in its captain's able hands.

"Captain!" called a deckhand on the rigging, "Underwater! Port side!"

Sarah wrenched her attention to the issue he had raised, and with quick determined strides that did not buckle at the shifting deck of the seaborne ship, made her way over to the port bulwark, one hand automatically unclipping a musket from her hip.

She leaned over, grasping the weathered wood of her ship with her free hand, the musket raised and ready to aim at any incoming danger. The enormous muzzle started to glow an ominous red as she channelled her magic into the round bullets inside. In many ways, this was a unique part of her particular brand of magic - 'Impure Shots'. The wounds caused by the magic-coated pellets were said never to completely heal, and were one of the many reasons why Miss Fortune, 'the Bounty Hunter', was so feared on the seas around Valoran.

But as she peered into the sunlit waters, the glowing of her weapon soon ceased as Sarah deemed what she saw over the side as nonthreatening. Instead, she looked up at her crew and yelled at them to slacken the sails and slow down the pace. She hung her musket back at her hip, and then turned back seaside.

"Hello mermaid," she said cordially, "What brings you around here?"

The Tidecaller, Nami, twisted upon the raised pillar of water which magically held itself aloft to bear its mistress to be on the same level as the ship's deck.

"Hiya Miss Fortune!" she greeted back with enthusiasm, one webbed hand waving.

She was never quite still, her tail moving powerfully through the water, causing the bright sunlight to glitter beautifully off her shining scales. With a wave of her fingers, the water bore her up a bit higher, until she was high enough to rest both elbows on the gunwale, propping her chin on her palms.

"…and I'm not a mermaid," she said with a small pout, "I'm one of the Marai. There's a difference."

"I see," said Sarah, "So what brings you here?"

Nami grinned, "What do you mean? This is my home! The entire Guardian's Sea is my playground! But I _was _curious to see who would stray this far from the East Blue Current… turns out it was you! I shouldn't have been surprised. Only someone like you or Gangplank would leave the Current of their own free will."

Sarah snorted.

"Gangplank? Don't compare me to that soft-drinking landlubber. I'm twice the captain he is."

Nami's ever-present smile only widened as she nodded pacifyingly.

"So where are you headed?" she asked sunnily, "Ionia? Gotta be Ionia, right? I mean, you wouldn't go to the Shadow Isles… and there's no point going through the Dark Sea to get to the west coast… I can lend a hand with a current if you're headed to Ionia, y'know! I was there last month! They've got the most beautiful cherry blossoms… and the locals all set lanterns out to sea for some festival… you know Ionians, always a festival for this, that or the other… but I gotta say, the lanterns _were_ reeeeeally pretty, especially at night! I took one with me, but the fire ran out the next day… haaaa…"

Sarah blinked at Nami's deluge of chatter. She knew the Tidecaller was a bubbly one (excuse the puns), but hadn't really interacted with her on a personal level, so she had just thought the rumours of the mermaid's incessant talking was exaggerated.

She guessed she had just tried to subconsciously avoid Nami, remembering the old tales of the treacherous ways of mermaids, especially towards sailors such as she. Sarah considered herself an open-minded individual, and not one to place too much stock on superstitions and myths, but seeing how easily Nami could control the ocean itself, and by extension how easily she could capsize any ship- no matter how large or seaworthy- and plunge the helpless crew into the merciless waters… to Sarah, this was undoubtedly a frightening power.

However, Nami seemed not to be the vindictive type, so Sarah was cautiously friendly, although careful to keep her distance.

"I'm actually not headed to Ionia," the redhead said, somewhat stiffly.

Nami bounced skyward, the water buoying her up in her excitement.

"_Really?_ But you're too far east to be headed for Noxus, or even Piltover or Zaun… don't tell me you're going to venture into the Shadow Isles… or even the Dark Sea! Wow, Miss Fortune! You're so brave! I've got half a mind to come along with you, but I don't like the taste of the Dark Sea… it's really, really, really cold. Goes right down to your bones, it does, yep yep."

Nami's voice took on a curiously sombre note at the end as even her ever-moving tail ceased for a moment, lost in memories.

Sarah blinked. To think that Nami had ventured into the Dark Sea itself, her seemingly unprotected body alone in freezing, murky waters that were teeming with swathes of deceptively long seaweed forests. Sarah shivered, but then began to scheme.

_Nami knows these waters really well… she could be a big help in finding the island on Ezreal's map. But first, I've got to get her interest…_

"No… gods no, I'm not going to the Dark Sea…" Sarah said, "I'm just going a little east of Ionia, not too far. But enough about that… say, Nami, are you interested in finding some treasure?"

Sarah's fingers formed a ring, the universal sign for gold coins, and she placed it over one eye while smiling winningly.

Nami's brows furrowed.

"Treasure? Like… a moonstone?" she asked, a hint of hope shining through her voice.

"Hmm… maybe, I'm not quite sure. There might actually be a pretty high chance of it," said Sarah, having heard of Nami's quest, "But even if there's not, there could be jewels, or piles of gold and silver! Ancient weapons which you could sell for a fortune!"

Nami looked at her with slight disinterest.

"I have no need for those… under the sea, most things lose their shine. Blades rust, silver tarnishes, barnacles grow on everything. But moonstones… moonstones always give off light, even in the darkness of the Deep! Oh, I wish I had a moonstone. Maybe this place of yours has one… let's go look!"

Sarah smiled.

_Hook, line and sinker, fishy! _she thought, although not unkindly.

She might be manipulating Nami just a tad, but the mermaid was well-natured anyway, and she probably would've helped out even without being led on with the promise of moonstones.

"Well," she said, "I've got a map here from Ezreal, and he says he found it somewhere in the Plague Jungles, of all places. He asked me to go check it out, because it seems to be an island on the edge of the Guardian Sea, off the coast of Ionia. You know Ezreal, he's not the seafaring type- I think he even got seasick the one time he asked me to drop him off at Bandle City."

Nami grinned.

"Ooh, let's see the map!" she chirped, clapping her hands in glee, "So exciting! You're like a real pirate!"

"I'm a pirate _hunter,_" Sarah corrected icily as pulled out the map and held it out for Nami to see, careful not to let the ancient parchment get too close to the moist-skinned mermaid, especially with the water that she used as a support not looking too stable.

Nami peered closely at the map, one hand on her chin, hmming and hawing, her lips cutely twisted in a thoughtful pose.

After a few minutes of this, the mermaid looked up and resumed her beatific smile, saying, without a hint of shame, "Sorry, I can't read this at all."

Sarah looked at her in shock.

"What?"

Nami shrugged good-naturedly.

"Well, I never need human maps anyway. I can read the currents and tides, but things like directions and degrees and… landmasses are hard to keep track of, tee hee."

Sarah frowned but put the map flat onto the gunwale, beckoning for Nami to come a little closer.

"Look," Sarah explained, "This big landmass is Valoran, this one is Blue Flame Island, and this one is Ionia. Got it? Now, what we're looking for, is this big island south-east of Ionia right here, just before the Dark Sea starts proper. It was never on any maps before this one, and no-one in their right mind would go near the Dark Sea without a good reason. One freak wave, or an unlucky wind, and you're right _inside_ the Dark Sea itself, and you're food for the fishes. Or whatever it is that lurks in those cursed waters."

Nami nodded slowly, her features still containing a puzzled air.

"I don't really get the distance or anything, but I can give you a current that'll take you towards that general area. When we get closer to this island, I can change the current to fit, I guess."

Sarah nodded approvingly.

"Right, let's go then."

"Say, where did all your people go?"

Sarah looked around, and, sure enough, there was not a single member of her crew to be found on the deck. She felt a brief flash of panic, before her common sense and familiarity with her men re-asserted itself.

"They're just superstitious bums," she said to Nami.

The buxom captain turned and yelled out in a strong voice, trained in many a sea storm.

"Oi! Get to work, you lazy bastards!"

She turned back to Nami, a small apologetic smile on her face.

"Sorry, they think mermaids are bad luck. Do you mind getting back into the water?"

Nami's cheeks swelled up as she gave Sarah a cute glower, and then back-flipped gracefully towards the glimmering ocean surface, the curve of her tail forming a beautiful circle.

"I'm not a mermaid!" came floating up indignantly just before sound of the splash.

* * *

Sarah stood at the port bulwark, waving out to sea. She couldn't see Nami, but she was sure the mermaid was out in the water somewhere. However, when the other woman (?) didn't respond after several minutes of waving and shouting her name, Sarah decided she needed a flashier way of catching Nami's attention.

She pulled out one of her guns, and, charging it with magic, fired consecutive shots into the water, the glowing red bullets steaming as they blasted into the water violently.

With a titanic splash, a streamlined shape exploded out of the water, acrobatically flipping in the air. Iridescent scales reflected light like the mirrored facets of a prism as the shape, after reaching the crest of its leap, started to descend gracefully.

However, before it managed to touch the surface of the ocean, an obelisk of water rose up and gently cupped the figure, supporting it in mid-air.

"Hey!" called Nami, smiling sunnily, "You called?"

Sarah gestured around her with one hand.

"We should be rather close to where the map said the island would be. Do you see anything that might be the island?"

"I'll go look underwater," said Nami, before diving back underneath the waves.

Sarah sighed and looked around. The island that the map showed was quite large, bigger than Ionia for sure. However, looking around, she couldn't see any landmass of that size on the surface of the ocean… or anything at all, really. Even if their position was slightly off, the mysterious island _should _theoretically be somewhere in sight range- unless the map was entirely fake.

Sarah squinted as she scanned the waters again. On the eastern horizon, she could spot thunderclouds gathering ominously on an otherwise clear sky, an intimidating reminder of how close they were to the Dark Sea. However, other than that, there didn't seem to be anything else of note, except for a tiny skerry a few klicks out- nothing more than a large, flattened rock.

"Misssssssss Fooooortune!" came Nami's voice from the side.

"What is it?" asked Sarah, "Any luck?"

"I dunno," said Nami, "There isn't any large island like you said, but underwater is definitely really strange."

"Strange? How?"

Well, the seafloor is really high for some reason. It's like an enormous plateau that goes on for aaaages. And that's only this section. This whole area is weird. If you go south a bit, the seafloor's still really high, but there's tons of sand… like… _so_ much. You cross a line, and then the entire seabed turns to sand. No joke. And then east of that is some kind of underwater forest, and then north are these huge underwater mountain ranges. I've never seen the seafloor so sectioned and peculiar before. I mean, I only went for a quick swim-over, but it's soooooo weird. I felt like I entered a different world or something…"

"Never seen it before…?" repeated Sarah, deep in thought.

"Yeah, I never realised it before you told me to look for things in particular. This place is too close to the Dark Sea for my people, but I was… I was a curious little Marai when I was little, so I explored it a bit when I was younger, which is why I know about the underwater forests and mountains. But this seafloor is _really _high, and I don't know why. Hey… that rhymes… haha."

Nami ended her thought with an amused giggle.

"Say, Nami," said Sarah suddenly, "What's the deal with the islet over there?"

She pointed over at the lone skerry breaking the waterline. To her, it was strange because there was literally nothing around it- no other rock formations that might be formed by an mid-ocean ridge, and no landmass that it might have broken off from. It was just a lone rocky mound in the middle of an empty ocean.

Nami dipped her head underwater briefly before popping up again.

"It's part of an undersea mountain… kinda weird 'cause it's the only notable thing around- the seabed is flat all around the mountain. Usually underwater mountains are ranges, y'know, caused by the ocean floor pushing together. You wanna go have a look?"

Sarah sighed. The stupid rock in the middle of the water was too small to possibly be the island they were looking for. But she had come this far, so they might as well make sure.

"Alright, why not," she said tiredly, "Let's go have a look."

* * *

Sarah stamped on the rock idly, her boots making a flat sound on the rough surface. She looked around and twisted her lips in irritation, before turning to head back to the dinghy that had brought her to the small skerry.

"This isn't it. I guess there was no island then," she said to herself.

She reached the boat and leapt in, the rocking no obstacle to her sea-trained legs. She was about to start rowing back to her ship when Nami's head burst from the water right next to the dinghy's right rowlock. Sarah flinched back and almost tumbled out of the boat in surprise.

"Holy…! Damn, Nami, don't _do _that!" she cried.

Nami waved her complaint aside.

"Miss Fortune! Look! Underwater! It's _so _cool!" she babbled excitedly, one webbed hand flailing in the air.

Sarah regained her composure and carefully moved to the side of the boat closest to Nami. She peered into the dark water, but couldn't see anything.

"What is it?" she asked cautiously.

"Underwater! There's… a cave! And… it's… _glowing_! Glowing blue!" Nami's hands gestured wildly as if they were trying to convey exactly how blue the cave was.

Sarah leaned closer to the water, interest piqued.

"Glowing, you say?" she asked.

"Yeah!" grinned Nami, "C'mon, I'll show you!"

And before Sarah could get a word of protest in edgewise, Nami had already grabbed her around the neck and dragged her into the water.

* * *

Sarah's eyes widened as she felt a rush of coolness envelop her, and reflexively held her breath, thrashing her arms to try and reach the surface again. However, only after a few seconds, she realised the feeling that had covered her body was not the freezing embrace of the sea, but a different _kind _of coolness. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't the feeling of being underwater.

She looked around, and saw Nami's amused smile, tinted in white. It turned out she was in some kind of translucent bubble- obviously the mermaid's doing. Sarah also immediately noticed an enormous wall of solid stone right next to her- probably the underwater mountain that Nami had been talking about earlier. She let out a big breath.

"Almost gave me a heart attack, Nami," she said, "Next time _warn _me before you do something like that."

"Sorry!" came Nami's reply, slightly distorted through the bubble, "But let's go explore the cave!"

She turned and swam downwards, her tail moving in a smooth, rhythmic motion. The bubble wobbled and then started to clunkily follow her, taking Sarah steadily deeper into the ocean. A morbid thought arose: if the bubble were to break for some reason, then she doubted she would be able to hold her breath long enough to reach the surface. However, she had no other option to put her trust in Nami for the time being, and so, put such pessimistic thoughts out of her mind, instead doing her best to try and see through the murky water and to where the mermaid was taking her.

Sarah's hand unconsciously curled around the handle of her gun. It wouldn't do much underwater, as using it would most likely pop the bubble which she relied on to breathe, but it was a comfort thing.

Presently, the bubble came to a stop, and Sarah noticed Nami waving furiously and gesturing towards a particular part of the rock face which they had been swimming around. She looked closer, and there _did _seem to be an opening, but it was rather small, and it was placed horizontally underneath an overhanging rock ledge.

Nami pointed towards it excitedly.

"Let's go in!" she said, "There's a glow! It might be a _moonstone!"_

"Hold on!" said Sarah quickly, "Are you sure this 'cave' of yours actually leads anywhere? If it just leads to solid rock and this flimsy-looking bubble pops, I'm screwed, you know."

Nami waved her hand and laughed.

"Oh my bubble won't break- who do you think I am? C'mon!"

Sarah wasn't too convinced with that argument, but as the bubble started to move at Nami's command, there wasn't a whole lot she could do. She just hoped that the opening was a lot larger than it looked!

She watched Nam's limber tail disappear into the darkness of the opening, and found herself nervously comparing the slimness of that appendage to the suddenly enormous width of her own fragile-looking bubble. She winced and then watched the opening loom in front of her menacingly, adorned with sharp-looking rock prongs.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, just in case.

* * *

Sarah felt the bubble ascend, and, to her horror, heard a definite _pop_. She felt her heart sink. Drowning was not the way she wanted to go out!

But a wet hand on her shoulder calmed her down. That's right. She had Nami. The mermaid could always remake the bubble, right?! But Sarah still didn't open her eyes or try to exhale, wanting to be sure that her next lungful would be of air and not water before taking any risks.

"It's okay," came a soothing voice next to her ear, "Breathe. There's air."

Hesitantly, Sarah slowly exhaled, almost as if she was blowing out bubbles. And when she heard air escaping, she quickly opened her eyes in relief and sucked in blessed oxygen. However, looking around, she noticed that she wasn't inside the bubble anymore. Instead, they were inside some kind of small sea-cave, luckily with a water level that was low enough that there was air trapped inside.

The air bubble was quite small, with room for only Sarah and Nami's heads to fit above the waterline. Luckily, Nami's control over the water was buoying up her human companion so that it kept Sarah at a level where she wouldn't bash into the rock ceiling, nor sink low enough to inhale water. It was supporting the red-head so well that she didn't even need to tread water.

It was a neat trick, but Sarah was focused on more important things. She turned to look around the cave. It was absolutely tiny, and she could clearly see that there was nothing special in or on the walls. It was cool that there was such a convenient source of air so far underwater, but other than that, there was nothing of note.

"So what now?" Sarah gasped out to Nami, the cold ocean water starting to really chill her to the bone.

Nami grinned and gestured downwards with her eyebrows- there wasn't enough room to point with her fingers.

"Where do you think the light's coming from?" she asked with a smile, "It's not my staff."

Sarah directed her gaze downwards, and to her astonishment, could see a dull glow coming from underwater. To be honest, the ghostly light that shone up dimly through the water was very pretty, especially in the dark, enclosed space of the cave, but she was too cold to appreciate it properly.

"What is it?" she asked, "Some kind of glowing rock? Would it be valuable?"

Nami shook her head.

"It's not here. The glowing's coming from a short tunnel underwater. Whatever's causing the glow is on the other end. Come on, I can smell air on the other side. Hold your breath."

Without further ado, the fish-girl excitedly dived underwater. Sarah looked at the dimly lit water in trepidation, but in the end, ultimately decided to swallow her fear and follow her companion. She wouldn't be able to go back to the surface by herself anyway.

Fortunately, the tunnel that Nami had spoken of was really close, and thankfully also very short. It was only about one or two strokes from start to finish. Sarah, a proficient swimmer herself, quickly pushed herself through the water, until the tunnel opened out into a larger pool. She saw Nami on the other side, submerged without a problem, pointing upwards to let her know that it was safe to ascend.

* * *

Sarah's head broke through the water with a loud splash, her locks of red hair for once not cascading down her back, and instead now clinging wetly to her skin. She started breathing with a huge sigh of relief, glad to have air back in her lungs after what seemed like an eternity underwater. She had been holding her captain's hat in her hand while swimming, and now pulled the sodden thing out of the water to start wringing out.

She gave her head a wet shake, and then looked around.

Her jaw dropped.

They were in an enormous rock cavern- naturally formed, judging by the irregular shaped walls. The rocky floor on which they now stood gently inclined upwards out of the water and formed a dry surface a few metres up. And piled in amazing golden heaps on this natural embankment was something that made Sarah's heart race with greed.

Treasure. Gold, silver, precious gems and jewels of every shape and size. Antique weapons and strange armour lay stacked against each other, with scrolls and beautiful pieces of art just casually lying next to them.

However, this mouth-watering mother lode was not, in fact, what made Sarah's jaw drop.

What was so jaw-droppingly amazing about the room they were in was the bright glowing crystal wall on the far side. It was enormous, and flawlessly curved, like a huge blue marble wedged into the rock by the careless hand of some juvenile giant. It shone from within with a vague intensity, and threw brilliance all over the rock walls- prismatic light and crazy shadows printed against the earthen surfaces.

Nami's head poked out from the water, her inhumanly coloured eyes wide and gleaming with awe.

"Amazing…" she breathed, "So pretty…"

Sarah shook herself out from her daze and started walking up out of the water and towards the treasure.

"And ours for the taking," she finished.

"There's no moonstone here though," said Nami in disappointment, swimming right up to the edge of the water, until it was so shallow that she was basically sitting on the ground, "My staff would glow if there was."

"You don't want any of this treasure?" asked Sarah in surprise.

"Nah," said Nami, "I'm good. What are you going to take? The pretty jewels?"

"Well, I'll take what I can, but Ezreal's condition for giving me the map was that I'd take any archaeological treasures I could find and he'd buy them off me to study," Sarah said.

She frowned.

"Damn, I didn't really think we were going to find this place, so when I left the ship, I didn't bring a sack or anything to carry the treasure. I don't suppose you'd bring me down here again to pick up more stuff?"

Nami looked at her and considered this carefully.

"I'd bring you down if you asked, but no-one else. I don't want too many stinky humans in my water."

Sarah laughed.

"Alright then," she said, although her mind was busy trying to think of a way to get as much treasure as possible.

Ezreal didn't want any of the gold coins or the jewels unless they were special, so she could take as many of those as she wanted for herself. She stepped closer to the piles of treasure, a wide grin on her face.

However, as she walked, she realised with a start that it was getting warmer. To her chilled body, she could definitely feel a source of warmth nearby. This place was deep inside a mountain and underwater to boot… what could possibly be emitting heat?

Curious, she moved towards the heat, to the back of the cave. It was coming from the crystal wall.

"Nami, is it just me, or can you feel heat coming from this blue wall?" she said to her companion, who was now looking idly through the piles of precious stones, as if there would possibly be a moonstone magically hidden at the bottom of the pile, if only she bothered to look.

The mermaid looked up inquisitively and then rode her twisting current of water towards Sarah.

"Um," Nami said as she approached, "Yeah, I think so… it _does_ seem to be quite warm."

She caught up to Sarah just as the latter reached the wall and placed a hand on its surface.

Which promptly disappeared.

Sarah half shrieked as the seemingly-solid, glassy wall underneath her fingertips vanished instantly. She retracted her hand immediately and glanced at it as if it would reveal some answers as to why the wall had just faded into nothing.

But Nami had noticed something else.

"Look, Miss Fortune!" she said, grabbing the other woman's shoulder.

Sarah looked back towards where the wall had been. To her surprise, even without the magical phosphorescence of the crystal, there was still enough illumination to see by. This time, however, the light was natural, coming from a small air-hole up on the other side of the cave, having previously been blocked from sight by the crystal wall.

What Nami was referring to, however, wasn't the light or the hole, but instead the body lying in the middle of the new area, the sunlight magnificently falling all around it in a way that reminded Sarah strangely of a halo.

"Is it… dead?" asked Sarah tentatively, moving towards it cautiously.

"Dunno," said Nami, who didn't seem as hesitant, judging by the way she was positively bouncing in excitement.

As they approached silently, Sarah couldn't help but notice how smooth the walls of the new area were, and in a spherical manner too. The crystal wall had obviously extended around in a full circle, leaving this body in the middle, almost ritualistically. Did that mean the crystal had been some sort of tomb for an important person of antiquity? That _did _explain the treasure, then.

But just as they closed in on the body, it suddenly stirred and gave a low humming moan.

Sarah jumped in surprised and grabbed onto Nami's arm, which was surprisingly warm considering how wet and slimy it felt. Nami, for her part, flinched a little, but didn't react as strongly as her human counterpart.

The two of them watched with bated breath as the body's eyes fluttered a little bit, and then opened. They were unfocussed for only a moment and then the body jerked itself upright in an explosive motion, and the figure stood up.

Sarah's eyes travelled up the person's body. It was a male, and had the lean, well-defined muscles of a seasoned warrior, especially prominent in the tight-fitting, black-and-white, layered-armour bodysuit that he wore. Her eyes slowly drank in his face, which was hard and strongly defined, with charismatic features that were memorable without being too severe or harsh. Three lines on each cheek that reminded Sarah of a cat's whiskers also added an endearing, almost adorable spin to his face. He had spiky golden hair that untidily fell around his face in a very natural manner, and bright blue eyes that, rather than being piercing as some were, were very open and warm.

"Damn, he's hot," she said before she could stop herself.

The warm eyes which she had just been admiring snapped to meet her own, and she blushed hard enough to match the hue of her cherry-coloured hair.


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto opened his eyes after yet another long 'asleep' period. He had long since accepted the notion that he might never again awaken to any scenery but the dull blue ceiling of his crystal prison. He had come to terms with his loneliness, and after the first few crushingly disappointing awakenings, simply closed off his heart and stopped hoping.

But this time, when he opened his eyes, and saw a dull rock ceiling, and heard the slow murmur of the waves nearby, and gods, smelt air that carried _scent_, he was so shocked, so disbelieving, that he at first wondered if he was dreaming still.

But the hardness he was currently lying on was definitely real. There was a small rock poking against the small of his back- irritating, but not painful. The sealing chamber's floor had been perfectly smooth and flat, so a rock like this would have been impossible... he shuddered in anticipation over the implications. He pushed his back into it, and was almost ridiculously happy when it did not give and continued to exist, a beacon of hope that he had escaped his own personal hell.

Mustering his strength, Naruto sprang up onto his feet. He half-expected his muscles to be sore and stiff, but as always, he was just as nimble and strong as he had been the day he was sealed.

It was then that he noticed he was not alone.

There were two women in front of him- or at least, one woman and one… _mermaid?_ The second one looked almost exactly like a stereotypical mermaid from the fables and myths. Her skin was covered with green scales that glittered in the light, and she sported a large, supple, fish-tail that moved effortlessly through a column of water that hung magically in the air. Underneath an ornate metal headdress that sat snugly on her crown, inhuman orange eyes gazed softly out at him.

The human woman, on the other hand, had striking red hair that hung loosely down her back in cascading waves, partially obscured by a large three-pointed hat. Her features were sharper than the mermaid's- an element of steel or perhaps _cunning_ shining through. Admittedly, however, Naruto's thoughts were, at the moment, less on the details of her face, and more on the fact that this very attractive woman was wearing a very small amount of clothing, and was also soaking wet. Naruto couldn't help but notice she also had a very respectable set of breasts- nothing ridiculous like Tsunade's gravity-defying melons, but… large. Quite large.

At this point in time, she said something, but Naruto didn't quite catch it- mesmerised as he was in drinking in the appearances of the first real people he had contact with since god knows when. His eyes snapped up to catch the red-haired woman's gaze, and he smiled winsomely.

"Sorry, what did you say?" he said charmingly.

* * *

Sarah's breath hitched as the absolute hunk in front of her smiled. It was such a pure, euphorically happy smile that she couldn't help but feel an unconscious stirring deep inside her heart even as she wondered what he could be so goddamn happy _about. _Absentmindedly, she felt a small part of her notice the irony that _she, _the famed seducer of men, would be affected by nothing more than handsome face and a beautiful smile.

Then, her brain kicked itself back into action and she processed what the blond had said. She thanked the gods that he hadn't clearly heard her unintentional comment and quickly sought to change the subject.

"Oh nothing," Sarah said quickly, "So… um… who are you?"

At this, the man's smile widened even further, his eyes crinkling into mischievous slits.

"Me?" he said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

His name had a very exotic flavour to it, thought Sarah idly, recalling that names that ended in vowels usually only came from Ionia.

"Well, um… it's nice to meet you, uh… Naruto. My name is Sarah Fortune, and this is Nami," introduced Sarah politely.

"Whaaat?" cried Nami suddenly, "You mean your first name isn't _really _'Miss'?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow slowly, and Nami quickly continued with, "Well, everyone calls you 'Miss Fortune' as if it were your real name, so I never knew otherwise."

Their attention was then drawn to a loud swish of cloth as Naruto bowed low in greeting.

"It's nice to meet you both… and I can't begin to tell you how much I mean that."

Sarah frowned.

"Say, why are you in here anyway? This room is in a cave inside a mountain… underwater, in the middle of nowhere."

Naruto looked back at her in surprise.

"Underwater, you say?" he asked.

"Yup!" Nami answered, and pointed towards the cave entrance, where the water rose up to wave to them in the shape of a giant hand, "This underwater mountain is right at the east end of the Guardian's Sea."

"Well, let's just say I've been sleeping here for a long time, then," said Naruto, with the slightest hint of darkness slipping into his sunny countenance, "Because when I was sealed away, this mountain was above the dry earth, with the nearest sea being leagues away."

Nami and Sarah exchanged a quick look. Sealed away? It sounded a lot like Brand's history- that wild, malicious inferno caged inside a human body. But this man, Naruto, seemed rather harmless and cheerful, nothing at all like the raging hatred and malice that Brand exuded with every burning breath.

"Why were you sealed?" asked Sarah tentatively, her hand inching ever so slowly towards her musket.

Naruto's eyes took on a nostalgic gleam. He was silent for a second, and then, to the girls' shock, a couple of lone tears started to slowly run down his face, sliding across bronzed skin like rivers of molten silver.

"To save me from a madman…" said Naruto softly, "…in the end, she did it for _me_…"

And then he covered his face with one hand and shook with grief. Sarah looked at Nami, who looked back, wide-eyed and confused. Sarah finally, hesitantly, reached out and patted his shoulder awkwardly, not really knowing how to comfort a grown man crying in obvious sorrow.

But, with a suddenness that startled her, Naruto quickly straightened up and wiped his face roughly with his palm. He sniffed once, and then smiled again, this time a smaller one, tinged with sadness.

"Sorry about that," he said, his eyes still rimmed lightly with red, "I've spent so long avoiding the issue that now I've gotten out, it just hit me all of a sudden and I couldn't control myself. The reason I was sealed away is very complicated, and probably isn't relevant in this day and age, so if you don't mind, please… I'd rather not say."

Sarah nodded.

"Um, that's okay," she said, wanting to avoid another emotional episode.

She was a fighter, not a psychiatrist!

"Well, I guess, this stuff is all yours, then," Sarah said reluctantly, finally deciding to breach the thought that had unwillingly popped into her head as soon as Naruto had awoken.

"What stuff?" asked Naruto, looking around.

He took in the glittering golden mountains piled behind them, and his jaw dropped. He numbly staggered past the two women, and stared at the treasure and precious artefacts with wide eyes.

"Wha…?" he gasped out, "Why's all this stuff…?"

He couldn't even complete coherent sentences and instead moved around the room, sifting through the treasures with unblinking, disbelieving eyes.

"No," Naruto said finally, picking up a spherical glass orb, "This stuff can't possibly be mine… wait a second."

His eye had caught the distinctive black marking of fuuinjutsu on a pendant that was sitting on a pedestal. He had noticed it because the pedestal, unlike the shining gold and glittering silver that covered the floor, was carved from undecorated stone, looking very much out of place in the cave of shimmering treasures.

Picking up the pendant, and noticing the black gem placed squarely in the middle, Naruto rubbed it in his fingers. He could barely remember _anything _about fuuinjutsu. Over the countless years he had been sealed, he hadn't been able to practise the art at all- not having any materials inside with him, after all.

Nevertheless, he ran some chakra through it experimentally, trying to see what it did. Then, to his surprise, the gem inside suddenly turned pure white and started to emit a bright light along with a low hum.

"Naruto Uzumaki," came an unfamiliar female voice.

Naruto turned around to see who had spoken, but only came face to face with Nami and Sarah's similarly befuddled expressions. He cast around for the speaker some more, but as the voice continued on, he realised it had come from inside the pendant itself.

"I take it that you have somehow been unsealed, if this recorded message is being played," the voice continued, "And for that, I welcome you back to the living world. You will no doubt be very confused as to your location and the culture that you find now surrounds you, if indeed humans still exist when you awaken. But I am afraid I will not be able to help you in that regard, as I am most likely also long dead."

There was a pause, but Naruto stood deathly still, for there was surely momentous information to be given soon. He was listening to someone who knew him… or knew _of _him at least, and in this strange place and time he had awoken, that was incredibly important. Sarah and Nami, for their part, were also quiet, hoping to hear something that would shed some light on the background of the mysterious man they had found.

There was a cough, and then the female voice from the pendant continued.

"You will be glad to hear that the Fourth Shinobi War is over, and that Madara Uchiha never completed his Moon's Eye Plan, nor reassembled the Juubi. However, I am unsure of how to relay this to you, but… we- that is, the Allied Shinobi Forces, did not exactly win. Madara simply _disappeared _one day. Maybe whatever supernatural force that held him to this earth long after his age had finally worn itself out. Maybe he was taken out behind the scenes by some jaded assassin who ambushed him while he had lowered his guard. Who knows? But the fact of the matter is: Madara disappeared, and thus it was ultimately our victory. I am the Eighth Raikage, the grand-daughter of Mabui, who you might remember from your time in the war.

Things have been complicated since you yourself disappeared, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. We have all been told stories of you and your comrades' exploits during the war, and from before, but your disappearance was a mystery unsolved, even after Madara vanished. It was not until someone used Impure World Resurrection to revive Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, to use as a cruel weapon against us, that we learned that you had been sealed away and where. Lady Hokage told us in her last free moments before we were forced to seal her away as well. She beseeched us to try and free you once she learned that Madara was gone… however, despite our best efforts, we were unable to do so. Thus, we have resorted to recording this message in case you ever free yourself. You are a hero, Naruto, and the last remaining Konoha citizen."

"…last?" repeated Naruto, a little shocked.

"You see, the Sixth Hokage led a mission two years after you were sealed and managed to destroy the source of Madara's unending White Zetsu army. In retaliation, Madara personally sought out and slaughtered every last Konoha civilian and shinobi. However, he had left the physical village untouched, and after he disappeared, the Allied powers retrieved Konoha's treasury and stored it with a memorial to the village's memory and sacrifice.

However, as I said, we recently encountered a scoundrel who dared summon the spirits of the past Kage to oppose us. We have obviously quelled the threat, and Lady Tsunade _did _reveal to us the location of your sealing. No one had touched Konoha's treasury in honour of the mission that really turned the tides of the war, and it was decided by the Four Kage that we would inter this fortune with you, who is truly their rightful owner, being the last living… or at least, last _non-dead_ Konoha shinobi. If you ever awaken, please do make use of it, for what good is wealth if there is no-one to use it?"

There was a pause, and then the audio suddenly continued with one final sentence before the gem inside the pendant turned black again.

"Um… I guess that's it. I wish you the best of luck."

* * *

Naruto stared unblinkingly at the now silent necklace, his thoughts whirling from the revelations he had just been given. Slowly, reverently, he closed his fingers around the jewel, the intricate links of the chain falling over his fist like a miniature waterfall.

"Well," he said aloud, "I guess this _is _all my stuff…"

"Are you alright?" asked Sarah, a bit concerned at how his voice had just trailed off.

Naruto turned to her.

"I don't really know how I feel about the whole thing, to be honest," he said, with a small smile, "But I'm rich now, I guess! Think of all the ramen I can buy!"

He turned to the two women as a thought struck him.

"Oh yeah, you guys want some of this? Please take some, I dunno what to do with all this money anyway," he said.

Nami ran a hand through her hair and shook her head.

"No thanks!" she said cheerfully, "I don't need human currency."

Her smile then widened as she continued on in a conspiratorial whisper.

"But I _am_ looking for a moonstone," she said with a wink, "So if you come across one of _those, _I'd gladly accept it."

To the mermaid's surprise, her red-headed companion _also_ shook her head in response to Naruto's question.

"I also decline," Sarah said.

Raising an eyebrow, Nami pulled her aside quickly to have a hurried private conversation.

"What?" she asked quietly, "Why did you say no? I thought you only came here _to_ find treasure!"

"But you heard him… it's rightfully _his! _I don't need charity!" replied Sarah fiercely, although it was equally low in volume.

"B-but… you… and money…"

Sarah's eyes narrowed.

"I'm a pirate _hunter, _not a pirate!" she insisted, "All my wealth comes from bounties, not stuff like raiding and pillaging! What kind of weird stereotypes are you thinking of?"

"Ahem."

Sarah and Nami both straightened up immediately when they heard Naruto's polite cough.

"I'm sorry," he said, "But I have really sharp ears, and you two weren't being very quiet anyway. But if it's a moral dilemma that you're facing, please, don't hold back."

He gave a sweeping wave at the glittering mountains of gold and jewellery.

"You think I, a simple soldier, could use up all of this up in even ten lifetimes? You heard the message- it's not even really mine in the first place. It's my village's. If it makes you feel better, think of it as a reward for making it here and freeing me from the crystal prison."

Sarah bit her lip. She _did _love money, after all, and the soft ambient dazzle from so many shiny objects in her vicinity were making her head spin and resolve weaken. Her greed was something that she tried to suppress (she didn't want to become a _pirate, _after all, most of which were notorious for their lack of control over their impulsive desires_) _but it was just so_ hard _with more gold than she could possibly imagine in her wildest dreams just sitting there, tempting her… _taunting _her with its extravagant allure.

"Oh alright then," she said finally, guiltily, "I'll take just a small bagful… as a _reward_, mind you. Nothing more than that, of course… just a reward… for services rendered. Because you _insisted, _of course."

Naruto smiled patiently and nodded.

"Of course," he agreed.

With that, the red-haired woman was off, gleefully rummaging through the piles of coins and gems, looking for any bauble or trinket that caught her fancy.

Naruto gazed after her fondly.

_It must be nice to be that happy, without a care in the world, _he thought, _I'm glad I could make her happy with mere gold and shiny stones._

Then remembering the other woman, he turned to Nami.

"Sure you don't want anything?" he asked again.

Nami shook her head again.

"No…" she said, "I only really need a moonstone."

"You tried looking in those piles of gems? Surely it could be somewhere in these massive stacks of treasure."

"My staff will glow if a moonstone is close by," the mermaid explained, "So I know there isn't one around. The offer was nice, though."

"Well, I hope you find one soon," said Naruto, "Of course, I'll keep an eye out myself."

"Would you? Thank you!"

* * *

Sarah wordlessly turned a flawless diamond over in her hand, and then picked up a shining emerald amulet in the shape of a dancing flame. She put it down to pick up another diamond, holding it up to the light and watching the reflections dance over the floor from the perfectly cut and bevelled sides.

If she sold any single _one_ of these jewels, she could buy any ship she wanted. If she took the handful, she could build her own _fleet, _and crew them with the finest sailors Valoran had to offer. No flea-ridden scurvy Bilgewater pub-rats who only set out to sea for a quick buck, but the real deal- experienced and trained navy men who were civilised and disciplined- bred for the high seas.

"Having trouble deciding?" came a voice from beside her.

Sarah half flinched. So engrossed in poring over the hoard in front of her, she hadn't been paying much attention to her surroundings- quite embarrassing for someone who prided herself on her prowess as a warrior.

"Oh… it's just so hard to _choose,_" she said with a happy sigh.

Naruto smiled.

"I'll leave you to it, then," he said, "Take your time."

He patted her on the shoulder once as he turned to leave, but then stopped, his hand still on her shoulder. Sarah turned to him.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Your clothes are still wet…" stated Naruto.

Sarah shrugged.

"Well, I don't have a change of clothes on me at the moment," she said matter-of-factly, though she still conscientiously shifted the sodden sleeves of her blouse with a careful finger where it stuck stubbornly to her wet skin.

"Then…" said Naruto slowly.

The blond slowly lifted his hand and touched it to her bare back, above the material of her blouse.

Sarah almost turned around in indignation- she _was not _comfortable with casual contact from strangers- especially men! But before the first cry of outrage could leave her throat, she felt a marvellous sensation rising up throughout her body from deep within her core.

It was as if she had just drunk the most beautiful honey-infused rum, thoroughly mixed with exquisite cedar sap and the finest Kumungu nectar. It was warm and smooth, and filled every inch of her body. A euphoric tide of joy hummed in her chest, and her fingertips buzzed with pleasure. Her senses abruptly jumped in clarity- all the colours around her seemed more vivid, the textures looking incredibly real and defined.

She turned to the blond man, eyes wide.

"What _was _that?"

"… um? I just dried you out."

It was then that Sarah noticed it was true. The intense sensations that had just rocked her world had left her feeling so lovely and warm she felt as if she had just been soaking in one of Ionia's famed hot springs for hours, and had just gotten out and been luxuriously patted dry by a soft, fluffy towel.

But she had not realised that along with that magical feeling, she had also been physically dried as well. Her skin was once again dry and soft, and her hair felt light and silky. Even her clothes were in a fine way- the cloth was supple and crinkle-less in a way that shouldn't be possible if you just heat-dried wet cotton normally.

"That's amazing!" she said, touching herself and her clothing in wonder.

Even the water at the bottom of her boots had disappeared!

"Was that your magic?" she asked.

Naruto looked at her blankly.

"I just coursed my chakra through you and around you," he said, "I also added thermal elements and some other stuff as well… it's hard to explain."

"Chakra?" repeated Sarah in confusion, not having heard the term before.

"My… um… energy…?" 'explained' Naruto, who had never before met anyone who didn't know what chakra was.

"Oh," said Sarah, "Well, that felt so good… shame we'll have to get wet again to leave this cave."

Naruto flushed a little in embarrassment.

"Oops," he said, "Forgot this mountain's underwater now."

"Think nothing of it," said Sarah, giving his shoulder a playful push, "Say, would you have any sort of container of any kind that I can store the treasure in?"

Naruto unclipped one of his empty back pouches and passed it over.

"Too small?"

"Nah, it's fine. Thanks a lot."

Seeing Sarah turn her attention back to the shiny gems, Naruto turned around and walked over to explore more of the treasure. _His_ treasure. He felt a thrill of excitement course through him as he thought of it like that. _His _treasure. It had a nice ring to it.

Those scrolls at the back… probably contained top-secret super powerful jutsu, right?

He started to walk a little faster.

* * *

Sarah hummed a little tune as she clutched the nondescript brown pouch to her chest, a smile on her face.

"My precious…" she whispered, rubbing her cheek against the plain leather material that hid the mind-boggling wealth underneath.

She came across Naruto and Nami, who were sitting down having a chat, seemingly having become fast friends. As she watched, the mermaid said something to the blond, and then puckered up her lips, seemingly doing a fish impression… which she did very well, to say the least. This, coupled with whatever joke she had just delivered, caused Naruto to burst out into laughter, slapping the stone floor with one hand in his mirth.

"You two look like you're having fun," Sarah said dryly, looking down.

Naruto, one hand on his stomach and the other now wiping a tear from his eyes, got the last few giggles out of his system and then replied.

"Oh, Sarah… you're done? You wanna go now?"

"I'm done, but…"

"Yes?"

"How are you gonna take all this stuff with you?"

Sarah gestured to the massive piles of treasure lying around them, and then looked pointedly at Naruto, who hadn't even seemed to bother to stuff his pockets or pouches. Nami tilted her head and blinked owlishly, seemingly coming to a thought.

"I can bring you down here whenever you like, Naruto," she offered.

"Oh thanks," said Naruto, "But I'll manage."

He spread his arms, and then a majestic blue light started to form in the middle of his chest. It swirled and eddied, a blue disc that also somehow managed to be spherical and flat at the same time. A ripple of slightly darker blue travelled across its surface, and then the entire thing collapsed into itself.

Sarah and Nami looked at each other, and then, noticing what had happened, made identical gasps of shock.

The treasure around them had all disappeared. Not a single stray coin or scrap of parchment remained. It was just bare rock and jagged stone remaining, bereft of its shining decorations. And without the huge piles of treasure that had occupied the space before, the two of them could really appreciate the enormous size of the cavern for the first time, and also, by extension, the sheer volume of precious items that had previously filled the now-empty space.

"How'd you do that?" asked Nami in wonder, turning around as if all the treasure would suddenly reappear if she simply looked from a different perspective.

"Secret," smiled Naruto.

Naruto may not have practised actual fuuinjutsu while in isolation, but he _had _studied chakra in ridiculous amounts of detail. And what the sealing arts were, in essence, were ways for shinobi to manipulate chakra far beyond what their coils and minds could control. A short-cut, if you will, for feats of chakra manipulation that would otherwise be impossible.

But for Naruto, who had been stuck by himself for aeons with nothing but his forever-growing chakra for company, 'impossible' was but a word. Simple things such as sealing away objects (he preferred to call it 'hiding') into the wind itself- wind, his strongest elemental affinity- was a neat trick that he stumbled on quite early in his tenure inside the crystal.

"Right then," he said, getting up as if he had not just defied the laws of physics, "Shall we get going then?"

However, both Sarah and Nami were used to Runeterra's magic culture, both using their own brand of magic with proficiency. Something like what they had just witnessed was amazing in both scope and the nonchalant ease with which it had been performed, but it was far from unheard of. They quickly recovered and prepared to leave themselves.

Naruto moved to the edge of the sloping natural harbour, until his shoes were actually touching the still water. Now that the unnatural glow of the crystal had disappeared, the only illumination was the natural light coming from some small air-hole all the way at the top of the other end of the cavern. The underwater tunnel from which they came- pointing towards the darkness of the deep sea- was dark and foreboding, the waters not giving any indication of depth.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and grimaced.

"You came from in there?" he said, pointing in the general direction of the water.

But if there was one person who wasn't deterred, it was Nami. The mermaid eagerly leapt bodily into the ominous waters, sliding in with only the slightest of splashes to signal her submergence. There were a couple of ripples, and then her head popped out into the air, eyes shining with joy.

"Aaah," she sighed happily, "The air's great and all… but there's just _something_ about good clean seawater coming out your gills… I just can't get enough."

Sarah grimaced and stepped knee-deep into the freezing water.

"Come on," she said unhappily, "We have to swim out a bit to the tunnel. It's underwater, but quite short. A few strokes should do. And then there's an underwater cave thing… just enough air space for your head, really. I guess it's there, Nami, you'll make that bubble again?"

Nami nodded enthusiastically and then dove underwater.

Resurfacing, she beckoned for them to come, saying, "Hurry up! The water's so good!"

Sarah took a deep breath.

"I assume you can swim?" she asked in an offhand manner to her blond companion.

Naruto nodded.

"Well, I could- back before I got sealed… god knows how many years it's been since then," he joked.

But steeling his courage and deciding to just man up and conquer the ordeal, he leapt into the frigid water. He winced as the cold immediately hit him like a sledgehammer, working itself into his bones like icy fingers. He quickly surged warming chakra though his body, relaxing slightly in relief as the energy fought back the cold until it was merely an unpleasant memory at the edge of his consciousness.

Underwater, Naruto opened his eyes, and was met with a sight that took his breath away and never returned it.

Directly underneath him, looking up curiously, was Nami, her hair carried away in the water, streaming out like cut grass in the wind. The water was illuminated solely by the glowing stone on her staff, and the scant eerie light that it cast gave the whole scene a dreamlike, magical air. She held the staff delicately, with both hands, in front of her chest, as she smiled calmly up at him, a mere powerless ambassador in her domain, where she alone was queen. Here in the water, she had a unique beauty that couldn't truly be conveyed above ground, an aura of majesty that exquisitely cast her aquatic features in a bewitching manner.

Naruto had never placed much stock in the stories from the sailors in Water Country. They talked of mermaids and their treacherous ways, seducing men out of their boats and into the deathly water. They talked of beautiful songs, and irresistible smiles, and bodies that took the attractiveness of human women and combined them with marine grace that humans couldn't ever hope to match. He had dismissed these as mere stories back then and scoffed at the thought of being beguiled by a creature that was half fish.

But now he understood. The captivating supernatural beauty of the mermaid while in her natural element was nothing to be laughed at. He could truly feel his own desire to ever leave the water, to ever look away from the alluring red eyes and enchanting curves fade away the longer he stared at the magnificent creature in front of him. If he had felt soft arms embracing him, a temptingly melodic whisper in his ear, an invitation to a soft bosom, he was convinced he would have gladly relinquished his life for just a few more moments in a sea-witch's presence.

However, Nami's joyous smile, free from ill-intent or deceit, broke the spell she had unknowingly cast. Her smile was not the seductive smirk, oozing sex and temptation, of an experienced manipulator, but the grin of a fun-loving girl just doing as she loved. It was the smile of a friend.

Naruto shook himself back into reality and swam to the surface, treading water. He noticed Sarah was next to him, holding her hat in her hand. A trail of bubbles signalled Nami's nearby presence, and with some unspoken signal, the two humans both took a deep breath and dived underwater.

Nami's staff was glowing, but it was a poor source of illumination for such a large space- the water diffused the light to a dull glow. Naruto concentrated slightly as he and Sarah did their best to follow that elusive tail that moved through the water with ease that humans could only dream of, and with a thought, he summoned a couple of floating chakra orbs that emitted a plain white light as he swam, brightening the dark waters as they exited the tunnel.

Still underwater, he could only barely catch a glimpse of twisting scales as the tail they had been following abruptly turned as its owner rotated underwater. A tug on his shirt and a webbed finger pointing upwards soon signalled that he should surface. He did so, reaching out and grabbing his red-haired companion's arm and pulling her up with him.

The humans' heads burst into the airhole, gasping for life-giving oxygen. The space was truly tiny, and Naruto, mere centimetres from Sarah's lovely face, felt blood rush to his cheeks as he was in prime position to admire every detail of her flawless features, accentuated with that utterly sexy aura that only wet girls could exude. The sodden hair, bright wide eyes, slightly blue pursed lips, droplets of liquid slowly sliding down soft skin… any straight male would surely be taken in by this!

But trying to take his mind out of the gutter nonetheless, Naruto also noted that she was shivering and briefly felt a flash of guilt as he remembered that his own body was warmed by his ever-convenient chakra. He _could _do the same with hers, but he would have to constantly be pumping chakra through her body because she couldn't circulate it herself. And judging by her reaction from above ground, the rush of power and sensation meant that she probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on swimming if this was the case.

Nami's head broke the water next to them, giving Naruto a welcome distraction.

"I'm going to make the bubble now," she said with a smile.

Sarah's lips made an 'O' shape as she realised something.

"_The _bubble? 'The'?" she repeated, "There's only going to be one?"

Nami rolled her eyes.

"You think this space is big enough for two? You guys are adults, aren't you? Just share the bubble. Actually, get a bit closer, there we go."

The two humans felt the water abruptly twist around them, pushing them into each other forcefully. They both blushed as their bodies pressed against each other, aligning to the contours of each other from the strength of the pressure around them.

"Oh, that's cute," said Nami with a teasing smile, "You two are just like adolescent lionfish."

"Get on with it!" growled Sarah though gritted teeth, although her cheeks were still red.

"Haha, alright, alright."

A cool sensation slid over the two humans, and a pearlescent covering soon enveloped their bodies, forming a bubble. However, it was still quite a tight fit.

_It seemed bigger when I was alone, _thought Sarah.

"Hold on, guys and gals! We're about to go under!" said Nami, having a blast at seeing the reactions of her companions.

"Hold on to what?" asked Sarah in irritation, and then borderline shrieked as the bubble suddenly moved, dropping down deep into the water proper.

She grabbed onto Naruto's shoulders to steady herself as they were the only things she could reach, pressed against him as she was, and he returned the favour by holding onto her waist. They were so close they could feel each other's breath on their cheeks and feel each other's movements as they shifted where they stood, uncomfortable with the intimacy of their situation.

"Watch the hands, big boy," she quipped as a way to ease the tense atmosphere inside tiny bubble.

Naruto only gave an awkward laugh in response.

This was going to be a _long_ trip back to the surface.


	4. Chapter 4

A word from the author: Remember, you can always check the bottom of my profile if you're wondering why I haven't updated in a while. More likely than not, I'll have written up some explanation as to why I have taken a break from writing (exams, going overseas/interstate etc.). If not, just assume I'm being slow.

* * *

"Puuuuah!"

A pair of heads burst from the surface of the ocean, drenched and taking big lungfuls of air.

"Haha, you humans, honestly," chortled Nami, waving her hand as she gracefully rose from the water herself.

A wave rose from the sea and crashed down onto the rocky islet, leaving two soaked people stranded on the rock like dried seaweed as it receded. Naruto rolled over onto his back and stared into the sunny blue sky. He thought he would have been sick of the colour- after all, it was literally the only thing he could see in all his years of imprisonment- but seeing the light blue of the boundless sky instead bolstered his spirits, imparting a sense of freedom and ecstatic anticipation for the future.

Gathering his wits, he got to his feet and offered his hand to pull up his red-haired companion as well. She took longer to regain her composure, just staring unseeingly into the sky while breathing heavily, but presently, took Naruto's hand to stand up.

"Um… you want me to…?" asked Naruto hesitantly, making an awkward gesture with his hands.

Sarah looked at him in confusion for a moment before realising and nodding quickly.

"You doing that marvellous drying thing again?" she said, "Go ahead… please."

She felt the blond's hands (already dry, she noticed with a hint of jealousy) touch the nape of her neck, and closed her eyes in expectation. The rush of amazing relaxation and warmth that spread through her was less overwhelming now that she was prepared for it, but no less pleasurable. Truly, it brought to bear all the nostalgic memories of comfort and safety that Sarah had thought were long since forgotten. Every part of her felt so cozy, and _loved, _it was almost like she was reliving her childhood memories of being tucked in snugly in a fluffy blanket by her mother while a storm raged outside. She _swore _she could taste melted chocolate and honey on her tongue, and feel a small earthen hearth spring to life in her chest.

The fact that she and her clothes were now no longer wet was just a bonus… she wouldn't have minded that small discomfort if she could have this feeling of satisfaction and contentment welling up inside her.

Letting out a happy sigh, she shot her benefactor a grateful look.

"Thanks," she said, "I kind of want to take you along with me, and you can give me shots of that stuff whenever I'm feeling down or tired from a long day on the blue…"

Naruto shrugged.

"It really feels that good?"

Sarah looked at him incredulously.

"_Good?_" she repeated, "That thing you do with your 'chakra' is incredible! If they were on sale, I'd use every single coin I have to buy enough so I could enjoy it every day of the year!"

Nami, resting both her elbows on the rock, gave a pout.

"You're leaving me out, guys," she said, "If it really feels that good, I wanna try."

Naruto held out his hand, but Sarah quickly grabbed it with her own.

"Hold on a second," she said, "Nami, I don't think you want to get dried out… you're a mermaid, after all."

"Oh," said Nami, "That's true… I don't want my scales to get dry… they'd crack and flake."

A wave suddenly came crashing in from the sea, flying through the air in an unnatural beeline for Sarah. The red-haired captain yelped and leapt to the side, just managing to dodge the water which splashed harmlessly onto the sun-baked ground.

"Hey! What was that for?" she asked.

"That was for calling me a mermaid!" retorted Nami, "I'm one of the Marai!"

"What's a Marai?" asked Naruto, feeling a little lost.

"It's another word of mermaid… oi!" said Sarah, dodging another wave.

"Don't listen to the pirate… Marai is the name of my race- we live in the Deeps of the Guardian's Sea," explained Nami.

"I'm _not _a pirate!" said Sarah, sidestepping another torrent of water, "You know, if you get me wet, I'm just going to get Naruto to dry me out again, y'know? So go ahead! I'll _enjoy_ it~!"

Nami gave her a sullen glower, but stopped commanding water to hurl itself at Sarah nonetheless.

"Now you're just rubbing it in…" she complained.

She sank into the water a little deeper, until only her neck and above was protruding, before looking around.

"Say, why is your ship sailing away?" she said, noticing.

Sarah's head immediately snapped back to look at where her ship would be, and her eyes widened as she saw that indeed, her ship was pointed to the horizon and was sailing away.

"What the… ?" she gasped, "Those idiots… they probably thought you drowned me, Nami."

Nami looked at her, a little offended.

"What? Me? Why?" she asked.

"Mermaids are known to do these things- that's why they're considered bad luck."

"I'm not a- oh, forget it."

Sarah unclipped her guns, a serious look on her face, as magical red energy started to gather in her hands.

"You guys might want to cover your ears," she said as she lifted the huge weapons into the air, "It might get a little loud."

The other two hurriedly did as instructed, just as Sarah started to fire her guns into the air, the muzzles somehow expelling two huge cones of burning red projectiles into the afternoon sky with thunderous roars. The furious blasting rhythm of the bullets was extremely loud, leading Naruto to block his ears with chakra and Nami to submerge herself into the water fully to escape the sound.

Finally, after almost a minute of continuous firing, Sarah saw the bow of the ship start to turn around as its crew spotted their captain and thus came to collect her. She lowered her smoking guns, still warm from magic and mechanism, and looked to her companions.

"Just a moment," she said, "Your ride's on its way."

* * *

Naruto looked around curiously, his sensitive nose crinkling a little as it was hit by the pungent stench in the air. The sky was stained an ominous orange-red by the swirling fumes expelled every second by the army of exhaust pipes and chimneys jutting from the rooftops and there was a loud din of clanging and clamouring rattling continuously from a factory nearby.

"So…" said Sarah from beside him, "This is the city of Zaun. You sure you don't want me to accompany you for a little bit?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Oh no, you've done more than enough. I couldn't possibly take advantage of your kindness any longer," he said graciously.

"Taking advantage? Oh no, thank _you _for the lovely treasure!" beamed Sarah as she patted the leather pouch secured to her hip.

"Haha, it was my pleasure. Again, I must thank you for the ride on your ship, and of course from freeing me from the crystal. A few shiny stones for _that _service are a reward too small if anything," said Naruto, bowing low.

Sarah blushed at Naruto's sincerity, and shifted a little in her boots, unsure of what to say.

"So… um… I guess I'll be going, then? I've got to… uh… catch the tide out… yeah…" she said quickly.

Naruto nodded.

"Alright," he said, "Farewell. I'll see you around, then, Sarah."

He smiled at her warmly, and Sarah nodded back, before hurriedly turning and walking back up the gangway to the ship before he could see how red her face was.

Well, _he_ couldn't. Didn't mean no one else could.

"Eh, Captain?" grinned one of the grimy deckhands, elbowing her roughly as she boarded the ship, "You got a nice 'lil _crush _there, huh? Who woulda thought the mighty maneater Miss Fortune would fall for someone? Keheheh and it _would _be a pretty boy like that, kek."

Sarah whirled on him, hiding her crimson cheeks with a furious expression.

"Did you say something, Decklan?" she demanded, "Because _I _certainly couldn't hear you over that overpowering pong of yours. I think it's high time you took a bath, man!"

She grabbed him by the collar of his frayed shirt, and, ignoring his protests and feeble attempts to free himself, tossed him overboard and into the drink.

"Does anyone _else _have any _assumptions _they'd like to make?" Sarah asked dangerously to the watching crewmembers.

They stayed silent, but the knowing smirks and sudden elbows and winks that were rapidly exchanged told her that the men who had served under her for so long were not so convinced by her denial of Decklan's claims.

"Oh _come on,"_ she said, exasperated and embarrassed, "I'm not in _love _with him… don't you remember who you're serving under, men?! It's me, Miss Fortune, the Bounty Hunter! No captain can resist my charms; no sailor can out-race my ship. No fighter can out-trade my guns… I'm Bilgewater's foremost Champion! As if someone like _that _could win my heart… you'd need more than looks to tame _this_ captain."

Her trusted helmsman raised a grey eyebrow.

"Ye certainly _acted_ like a starstruck young wench, lassie," he remarked calmly, "I never seen ye act like that roun' any man in Bilgewater, capt'n."

"You wanna join Decklan down there, Rowan?" threatened Sarah defensively, "That guy was _different, _okay? He's not like the mutts in Bilgewater's taverns. And I was just acting nice to him because he's the reason we're rich now, alright? Just acting nice to him, is all!"

Rowan nodded sagely.

"Sure, sure," he said agreeably, although he still waggled his eyebrow suggestively to the first-mate, who guffawed and sent another chain of elbows and stupid grins among the crewmen.

"Oh, for gods' sake," muttered Sarah, throwing her hands in the air.

She pushed past her men and stormed angrily into her cabin, slamming the door shut violently.

"Wot?" asked a drenched Decklan as he finally climbed back on deck after his impromptu swimming session, "Where's the captain? Did she already chase back onto land after that blond guy?"

_Bang!_

A glowing bullet burst from the wooden door and flew directly between Decklan's legs, actually slicing a line into the crotch of his pants.

"Decklan!" came the enraged cry, "Get over her so I can hang you out to dry under the bowsprit!"

"Cya lads," said Decklan, wincing, "I think I'm done."

* * *

Hearing a rattling coming towards him, Naruto turned and quickly sidestepped the large horse-drawn cart that was coming from behind him. It was filled with some sort of meat, and was buzzing with flies that flew close like some sort of demented black cloud, splitting the packed street as it clattered through.

In its wake, the crowd quickly followed, jostling and pushing towards their destination after being forced to step aside for the cart. Naruto, after being shoved and pushed around as the busy citizens rudely tried to drive ahead, got a little sick of it and conjured a dark chakra weave over his shoulders that took the form of a large hooded cloak.

Pulling it tight, Naruto focussed his presence and began to march through himself, forging forward and wading through the throng of people as if he was stuck in quicksand or the like. Protests and irritated shouts died inside disgruntled people's throats (who although perfectly content to push others aside, were not so comfortable with being shunted away themselves) as they realised the very person they were about to berate was an intimidatingly featureless figure clad all in black and sporting a shadowy cowl, wreathed in a dangerous aura.

However, it was evidently not enough to deter _everyone, _as Naruto's trained senses detected a slim shape dart close to his person and brush against him in a manner that was too deliberate to be harmless.

Moving immediately, he spun around, his chakra flaring all around him like invisible flames, causing the mass of people to instinctively flinch away as they felt a sudden threat that they couldn't exactly identify. They backed away, creating a small break in the enormous traffic that had until now been flowing endlessly down Zaun's main street, and clearing a small space around the hooded man.

Said hooded man was right now holding onto the wrist of a small person in a makeshift cloak made of rags and dirty clothing- obviously a pick-pocket who had been caught in the act red-handed.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Naruto in a hard voice.

The thief, of course, said nothing- the scarf that had been wrapped around his or her lower face concealing their features and even their gender. A short tug on the caught appendage was attempted to try and free themselves, but Naruto had the hand caught in a vice grip.

"Come with me," said Naruto, very aware of the crowd's watching eyes, who were even now wondering what would become of the altercation, and even hoping that perhaps there would be a spectacle.

He moved in closer to the person, which was obviously something they didn't want judging by the way they shied away and tried to keep the distance between them. But Naruto wasn't doing anything physical- instead, he was only getting close enough to whirl his chakra cloak around them, the matrix stretching and distorting to cover them both as he quickly charged the construct with energy.

To the eagerly waiting crowd, the man had moved suddenly (_maybe to initiate a fight!_) towards the thief, but then, mysteriously, with a swirl of that strange dark cloak, vanished, taking the criminal with him. There had been nowhere to escape to, being surrounded by people as they were, and nowhere to hide, as there had been a sizable gap between the two and the onlookers.

The crowd rippled with murmurs and frantic whispers as they tried to figure out where their potential entertainment had gone. Heads turned to try and spot the pair in vain, and perplexed expressions could be seen all around.

But Zaun was not a city where there was time to just stand around and do nothing. The crowd had been stopped for long enough, and now, urged on from behind by the rest of the citizens, reluctantly swallowed up the space where the hooded man and his captive had stood and continued on their way, the street once again resembling a fast flowing river as people moved with authoritative purpose.

* * *

In a filthy back alley, walls streaked with grime and crawling with rats, Naruto and the pickpocket appeared in a swirl of shimmering black cloth. Naruto released his captive's wrist at this point, now that they were out of the public eye and there was no crowd to escape into. The would-be thief stumbled upon the loss of the iron grip, and staggered backwards, almost falling into the dirty water running across the cobblestones.

"That wasn't very wise," frowned Naruto, still hidden behind his hood, "There are a lot of better ways of making money than stealing it, you know."

The thief didn't say anything, seemingly staring blankly at Naruto's face, but then, with a sudden movement, bolted towards the alleyway's street opening, making a dash towards the safety of the main road.

Naruto clicked his teeth and stretched out a hand.

"Hey!" he said, "Where do you think you're going?"

An enormous blanket of chakra wrapped around the running pickpocket, buying enough time for Naruto to casually stroll over to the immobilised but struggling thief.

"Now, let's just see what's behind his mask," mused Naruto as he unwrapped the dirty scarf wrapped around the thief's lower face.

Dirty brown hair cascaded around a tanned, freckled face, grimy but still retaining the slight lustre of youth. Big hazel eyes looked distrusting at him, and a small mouth curled distastefully.

"What?" snapped the young girl angrily, "I didn't even take anything. Just let me go, you brute!"

"Even though you didn't steal anything this time, that's not the point. The fact of the matter is, you _tried _to steal. That's not very nice," said Naruto disapprovingly.

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Oh _please,_" she said scathingly, "Spare me the morality lecture. A rich guy like you was probably born in Demacia to wealthy parents, went to Mage Academy, and got a job as a sorcerer or a summoner or something. You don't understand what it's like to live in Zaun, without parents, without money. What it's like to scrounge around the bins for food, to beg for scraps and coins to buy mouldy bread. To constantly hide in the alleys so the greycoats don't pick you up and sell you to one of the labs where they'll do all sorts of nasty shit to you- until you can't remember your name, can't tell what direction is 'up'. You don't understand what it's like to always hide your identity so the slavers don't take you, a defenceless little girl, away to whore you away on the streets of Noxus or Bilgewater. You just don't _understand_! So don't talk to me about stealing a purse or two!"

The girl finished her rant, heaving with vehemence as the hooded stranger just stared at her unmovingly, his face invisible under the dark shadow of his cowl. She began to wonder, with a creeping sense of dread, if he was one of the soulless spectres from the fabled Shadow Isles- after all, his cloak was so impossibly dark that it was clearly not of human or machine make, and the way the darkness completely covered his face despite the hazy sunlight of the late morning gave a feeling of foreboding that she couldn't shake. But then, she remembered that he had spoken before, and his voice had been quite normal- calm and clear, and most unlike the rattling croak that she imagined the citizens of the Shadow Isles would possess.

Another silent moment passed, and the girl began to sweat a little. Perhaps the person in front of her _was _a ghoul, ready to suck out her soul? She had heard stories of how some of the more terrifying creatures that populated the cursed Isles could impersonate human voices in order to trick misbehaving children and lure them to their doom.

Then, an arm in a black sleeve moved, and the girl almost jumped out of her skin. However, the arm only moved to shift the side of the cloak aside, revealing bone-white armour and a black bodysuit. A finger pointed at the prominent hip pouch that was clipped onto the utility belt around the man's waist.

"This is what you were trying to take, wasn't it, girl?" said the hooded man, "Why don't you have a look at what your prize would have been."

He pulled the brown pouch off his belt and held it open for the girl to hesitantly peer inside. Upon seeing the contents, the would-be thief's eyes widened.

Steel.

Row upon row of shining silver blades stacked neatly against each other, packed inside the brown leather pouch. Sharp throwing stars were strung together on wire and looped together at the bottom, next to bundles of iron slivers and piles of caltrops. Then, the man flicked his arm, and a curved short sword was presented to the girl, who flinched and recoiled backwards in fear.

"Rule number one of thievery," said the man, "Pick your target carefully. Obviously, don't try and steal from someone who looks like they can defend themselves, or anyone with clearly displayed weapons. Now, I understand you wouldn't be able to judge these things if someone was dressed like myself, but isn't this experience a good enough reason not to try and steal off someone who you can't profile in the future?"

His arms blurred into motion faster than the girl could possibly hope to follow, and the short sword was instantly sheathed somewhere that she couldn't see, while the pouch was clipped back onto his belt. The man then pulled his cloak back to cover himself, and spun a dagger into his hands, the wickedly sharp tip glinting in the light.

"Here," he said, the knife whirling skilfully as he held it out, handle first, to her, "Take this. Cutting a purse is a lot easier than slipfingering. A skilled slipfingerer is infinitely more subtle, but it is a lot more dangerous. For now, just use this kunai to slice the purse string. Hold it at the very end of the handle, the side closest to the tip. Wrap your thumb and index finger around the secondary edge for more control- don't worry, it's not sharpened. Don't slash, just brush the blade against the string and it should come off easily."

The girl tentatively took the knife, wide-eyed and disbelieving. This man, who she had just tried to _steal _from, wasn't going to kill her or report her? He was giving her tips on how to steal? _What?_ Who _does_ that?

She held the knife in two hands, feeling the weight in her hands. It was sturdy and had a heft to it that felt like it would do some serious damage if swung at the head, but also had a strange balance that made the knife almost feel _light _in her petite fingers. This… was the slim, quick blade of a rogue or an assassin.

The girl shivered involuntarily as she realised once again _who _she had just tried to steal from. It was the ominously _efficient _feel of the blade that scared her the most, rather than the small armoury the man was hiding under his cloak. This blade was made for killing, and nothing else. Not for intimidation, although it was plenty fearsome, and not for street-fighting, although it was well-suited to combat as well. It was made specifically to take lives, to murder and eliminate.

"Well, then," said the man, "Take care. Use that blade well."

He turned and walked to the back of the alley, turning the corner into a dead-end where the garbage dumpsters from nearby restaurants were.

"Um," called out the girl, "Sir? There's no way out from there."

When there was no reply though, she nervously crept forward and peeked around the corner herself, expecting to see the hooded man searching for a way out of Zaun's twisting backstreets. However, she didn't see anyone, just a mangy stray cat which yowled angrily and ran past her out to the main laneway.

"Huh…" she said, although she was not terribly surprised.

A man like that, an _assassin_, would surely be resourceful enough to navigate any labyrinth of alleys, no matter how confusing.

_Crash. _

_REAAAAAOW!_

She turned around, raising the knife the man had given her in self-defence as she heard a terrible shriek.

"Hey…" said the hooded man with a sheepish smile that peeked out from under the shadow of his hood, as he stumbled out with a screaming cat on his head and trash streaking his cloak, "Do you know how to get out of these blasted alleyways? I kept going, but all I found were some bins, haha."

The girl shook her head and sighed.

"That way," she said long-sufferingly, pointing back the way she had come.

* * *

A few seconds after the scruffy street-rat and the hooded man left the alleyway, a second hooded figure- identical to the first- shimmered into view, this one's cloak pristine and trash-free. This Naruto looked around for a second before raising his hand and flicking his fingers.

Meanwhile, the hooded man who had just been directed back onto the main road by the young thief girl stepped casually into the rapid stream of people moving up and down Zaun's main street, was swallowed up by the mass of humanity, and somehow managed to quickly and completely disappear without anyone noticing. It wasn't hard. After all, he hadn't been real in the first place.

The real Naruto, back in the alley with the stinking garbage bins, scratched the top of his hood absent-mindedly as he looked up at the small window of sky visible between the dark framework of grimy brick and tangled steel piping. He noticed with a sense of muted wonder that the blue screen above his head was a very clear and light shade that reminded him of the summer, and of open fields of wild grass and blooming flowers. It was so unlike the perpetually grey and gloomy sky that covered the rest of the city- dirtied by the clouds of smoke and smog that were constantly being produced by the army of factories and laboratories that stood on every corner. It was so out of place here, in this city…

"You can come out now," Naruto called.

There was no response for a moment or two, before a slight wind began to pick up, whistling at the edge of his hearing, picking up a stray piece of litter and blowing it around with a clatter. The breeze started to rise in intensity, becoming a strong gust that whirled around him- making the sides of his cloak flap around his legs- and then finally transitioning into a full-on gale that roared defiantly in his face, pushing the piles of trash that covered the ground away.

However, despite the strength of the wind, Naruto stood tall and unrelenting, his hood unmoving against the winds that blew right into it with all their might. He simply stood, and waited.

He didn't have to wait for long, before a slim figure descended from the sky, the howling winds that accompanied her trumpeting a majestic chorus to signal her arrival. She alighted on the ground- lightly, daintily- her slippered feet seeming to have contact with the ground only on a sheer technicality.

It was an ethereal creature, this woman, with features so delicate and fine that it seemed to have been sculpted and baked in the workshop of some artisan god rather than birthed from a human womb. She had a slim figure, with slender limbs that were long and willowy, and creamy alabaster skin that sat as a stark contrast to the dark, brooding colours of Zaunite walls. Her hair, like so many joyous streamers, streamed skyward, defying gravity under the force of the magical wind that bore them up. They, too, were white as freshly fallen snow; an untainted shade of perfect ivory.

To complement this, she was also wearing white; billowing sheets of fabric that wrapped around her and swayed in the ever-present breeze. Her clothing was designed to both cover with a blanket of mystery and expose to greater temptation simultaneously- and, somehow, managed to pull off both with great effect.

A white skirt-like garment, resembling a sarong, was wrapped around her waist, but long slits that travelled all the way up her thighs allowed the material unprecedented freedom to deviate from its wearer's lovely legs and reveal them to a desiring world. Her torso was mostly bare, bar a single piece of tailored white cloth that wrapped around her bosom and then again around her neck, tailing off to form two light ribbons that hung off her shoulders like a pair of diaphanous wings. A translucent veil covered her nose and mouth, but the gossamer cloth did not manage to conceal much at all, and the graceful shape of her face was rather accentuated rather than diminished by the gauzy material.

Her body and face were like glass, so flawless and elegant, to the point where one could not help but wonder if the paragon of beauty in front of them was anything _but _a goddess come down to earth, an impression not helped by her inhumanly pointed ears. But it was her eyes that (somewhat) broke the illusion.

Despite the perfection of an appearance that demanded respect and boasted detachedly of the divine, her eyes, the only features of her face left uncovered by the veil, spoke volumes to the contrary. They were warm and full of empathic affection, windows to a tender soul. Loving and full of gentle care, yet also somehow filled with a subtle, muted pain- the merest pinprick of despair and sadness. However, a spark of defiance also danced in those expressively _human _eyes, with the ability to flare up into a blaze of fury if so stoked.

This seraphic avatar stood statuesquely on the concrete, bringing with her a cool, sharp atmosphere that completely banished any remnant of the pungent smell of Zaun's pollution and dirty streets.

"Greetings," she said, and her voice was as breathy and delicate as her appearance suggested.

But Naruto was not one too easily taken in by mere appearances. Back before his sealing he had been surrounded by beauties of every shape and size, attractive by any sense of the word, yet almost all possessing the power to easily kill any man in mere seconds and the willingness to do so without an ounce of hesitation or regret. He knew full well that a pretty face did not mean that the person behind them was not dangerous.

So he merely nodded once, a simple inclination of his hooded head to acknowledge her words.

"Who are you? Why were you watching me?" he said brusquely, skipping any verbal pleasantries.

The woman felt a small smile tug at her concealed lips, a thread of amusement running through her. Obviously this man had a no-nonsense attitude, which really _was_ refreshing, considering how often she had to deal with silver-tongues and honeyed words, most of them only to thinly disguise a lust-driven proposition.

"I…" the woman said, realising the hooded man was still waiting for an answer, "…am Janna. I was once an orphan living on the streets, just like young Treiss from before. I did the same things she did to survive; I know the same hardships she did. And through a series of fortunate events, I am now a Champion, with the power to control my fate, and the fate of others. I am no longer in that helpless position, living day-to-day with no hope or salvation insight; but I have never, nor _will _ever forget those terrible times.

So with my power, I will _be _that hope and salvation for these poor children. I will be their patron saint; I will watch over and protect these vagrants, these unwanted street-rats, for as long as it takes, until Zaun itself changes, and the danger of the streets is no longer the place where thousands upon thousands of children must call home. And when that day comes, I will gladly relinquish my role, and rest knowing that at least in Zaun, there are no more souls crying out without an ear to hear them.

But that day has not yet come, so still I stand vigil, watching people like Treiss and helping them when they need help. I am not their mother, and I cannot support them all or guide them through their lives. They need to develop the skills to survive and claw their way out of this hellish way of life themselves, much like I did. However, the people of Zaun- either the citizens or the visitors from other parts of Valoran- are generally perhaps too ready to swing out in violence and murder, so it is for that reason that I am here. To intervene, offer a shield, and perhaps also a healing touch to keep them on top of things.

But you are different. You are obviously skilled and adept at combat; an assassin if I ever saw one judging by your garb and weaponry. But you took pity on a vulnerable girl, showed mercy in a place where such a trait will get you eaten alive and even went on to offer assistance. For that, you have my everlasting thanks. But I must ask. Who are you? To be able to sense me, hidden away by a shroud of wind and magic? And what are you doing in Zaun? Even Demacia knows that assassinations are useless in this cursed city of a million rats, rats in form and rats in human shape; any official you kill will only be replaced by two more, equally as greasy and unpleasant as the last."

Naruto tilted his head as he listened to Janna's voice, pure and airy, but hiding untold frustration and anger at the world as she voiced her (rather long-winded, to be honest) grievances. She had been watching him not for a sinister purpose, but to gauge his level of threat to her charges, and to protect them from him, if need be. Her cause was truly admirable, and he silently wished her all the luck for the future. After all, the situation was something he was not unfamiliar with.

"I, too, know that same pain you describe," he said slowly, "I was once also a lonely orphan on the streets without help or friendship. Scrounging for scraps and eking out a meagre living any way I could. Seeing that girl reminded me of myself, in a village full of people who couldn't see me for the dirt I might get on their clothes. So I decided to help her out, like nobody did for me. Empathy, I suppose."

Naruto spread his hands sardonically. Then he whipped out his tanto again, holding it into the air for Janna to see.

"You asked who I am? When you called me an assassin, you're not too far off the mark. Like I said, I was once a child on the streets, much like that girl, or yourself. But _unlike_ you, who after obtaining power has made a choice to save others, I did the opposite. For the greater good, I went out, and created more orphans, more children who have no home, but whose only crime was to be born under parents on the wrong side of a war.

I don't regret what I did, nor believe what I did was wrong. I am who I am. But don't worry, I'm not here to do anything to this city. Something happened, and now I have no-one and no reason to kill. So I'm just wandering, I guess."

He thoughtfully slid a single black-gloved finger up the wicked blade of his short-sword, feeling the folded steel crease his skin, before deliberately pricking his finger on the tip, allowing a single full droplet of blood to balance, hypnotically, on the flat silver metal.

Janna watched the enigmatic man, her brow wrinkled. He was a real mystery, he was. To be able to sense her, a Champion, meant he was obviously more dangerous than any common assassin, yet he displayed kindness and compassion to the poor wretches which even common folk avoided, something quite rare for those that ascribed to that profession.

"Well, again, I must thank you for your kindness to those who need it. What is your name?" she asked, finally.

The man looked up at her, and Janna was shocked to see a toothy smile winking out from beneath the hood which had until now obscured any attempts at seeing through the concealment of its shadow.

"I'm Naruto!" declared the person cheerfully, "Nice to meet you! But I'm afraid I've got to go, because I think I smell ramen, and it _is _about lunch-time. Cya Jenna!"

He turned, and then somehow _faded _away into nothingness. Janna, caught off guard by the sudden change in demeanour as well as the equally sudden departure, could only blink in surprise.

"Well!" she said out loud after almost a minute of just standing there in shock, "That was unexpected!"

She had never really experienced being more or less blown off like that, or having her name remembered incorrectly. She wasn't sure what she thought of it, so decided to just giggle a little bit at the absurdity of the situation and the sheer _strangeness _of the person she had just met.

"What a peculiar person," she mused, before she noticed something twinkling on the ground among the piles of refuse lying around, "Hello, what's this?"

She bent down, creating a strange, almost blasphemous sight for such an angelic creature to be among the trash heaps, and retrieved the object. It was simple pendant, with a strange black gem placed squarely in the middle.

"Did he drop this?" she said, looking at the bauble with interest.


	5. Chapter 5

A word from the author: Sorry it took so long. In addition to end-of-year exams and assessments and stuff clogging up my schedule, I decided to rewrite Chapter 6 for this story twice because I just wasn't happy with it. I needed to give the plot some kind of direction rather than 'Naruto goes around meeting all the champs yay', but the way I did it was too ham-fisted and uninteresting, so I had to scrap it and restart. Thank you for understanding.

* * *

"Ah… that was good," sighed Naruto happily as he exited the small restaurant.

He was feeling content after stuffing his belly full of good food for the first time in what quite literally seemed like an eternity. The sailor's fare that he was provided with while travelling with Sarah was very bland and not filling at all- consisting usually of dry ship's biscuit and hard cheese, supplemented with some seafood that Nami had offered them as she swam alongside the ship.

But now, feeling juicy, tender meat between his teeth, and tasting rich sauces and textures on his tongue, Naruto was so happy he almost cried with joy. It had seemed like _so long _since he had truly eaten, truly replenished his body's energy stores. He had ordered three full-course meals from the menu, and downed them with relish, much to the elderly owner's wide-eyed disbelief.

When the time finally came to pay, Naruto hesitantly produced some of his treasure from the wind, and offered the owner his pick, not knowing the ways of the currency.

The old man almost fainted, having never seen such wealth in his entire life, let alone in the palm of one person. He tentatively asked if what his eyes were seeing was real, despite knowing full well that Runeterra's magical laws restricted the fabrication of currency.

Naruto didn't rush him, and continued to hold out the valuables. Finally, eyes watering, the old man gingerly reached out and hesitantly plucked a single gold coin from the younger man's palm- the least valuable object displayed there.

"I-I'm afraid I don't have change for this…" he said slowly, still a little in shock.

"That's okay…" grinned Naruto, snapping his hand shut and sending everything in it back into the wind, "Keep it, cause those meals were really something else. Super tasty! Keep up the good work!"

He stood up to leave, but the old man stretched out a hand quickly.

"Wait a second, young man," he called out, "Are you a foreigner?"

Naruto tilted his head as he leaned across the restaurant counter laconically.

"Um… yeah, I guess… what makes you say that?"

"You're obviously not very familiar with Zaun's money, if you think even _twenty_ full meals is worth a gold coin…"

Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Whoops," he said, sticking out his tongue bashfully, "Got me there…"

The old man sighed, and shook his head.

"Be careful, lad. Don't go flaunting your wealth around or pull that stunt around others. There are people out there who aren't as kind as me, and you'll soon be out of that money you're so proud of. And for future reference, most meals in Zaun go for a couple of bronze coins. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider your very generous tip? I'm an old man, but I don't need charity from you young'uns yet."

Naruto smiled sunnily at him.

"Nah, dude," he said, "I'm not strapped for cash… keep the money- you deserve it. And don't worry about me- I know when someone's got less than friendly ideas in their head."

The old man looked closely at the blond stranger. At first he had seemed kind of flaky, with such clean, attractive features and nice, unsullied clothes- perhaps a foreign noble's son perhaps? But on second glance, those cheerful blue eyes held a streak of unrelenting steel, sharp and true, something the elderly chef was only able to notice through years of experience and insight.

The old man felt a chill race up his spine. He hadn't seen eyes like that since the last Rune War.

* * *

Naruto watched impassively next to an impressively ugly gargoyle atop one of Zaun's close-packed, towering buildings. Closer to the centre to the city, like where he was now, the architecture shifted from the dirty white, industrial metal of the newer factories, and reverted to dark, imposing stone constructs adorned with carved balustrades and intricately decorated facades.

But despite these throwbacks to an earlier time in Zaunite history still remaining intact and in quite good condition, there was no-one in today's Zaun to admire their beauty or the craftsmanship that went into their creation. Instead, the perpetual smog that hung over the city like a cloud of gnats almost totally obscured these once magnificent features and cast them in a menacing, sinister manner, adding to Zaun's already foreboding presence.

The light shroud of twilight darkness started to slowly caress the city, and lights- big, bright, lantern flames behind frosted glass- began to spring up all over the city, lit by the lamplighters who ran through the streets with their flints and long-handled torches.

Naruto lifted up a leg to his chest and hugged it as he stared pensively out at the city.

_What should I do? _he asked himself.

He had asked Sarah to drop him off at the nearest mainland city, which just happened to be Zaun. Now, having spent an entire day inside its grim walls, he had to say it didn't really suit his tastes. Sure, the overt darkness and almost _casual _lawlessness that enveloped the streets appealed to his shinobi side- that dark part of him in which dwelled the assassin- the one that lived and thrived in the shadows. But the rest of it- the grime and the filth, the poverty, the untrustworthiness of the officials and the pointed uncaring nature of the citizens, not to mention the perpetual clamour and pungent odour, just grated on his nerves, and he felt an urge to leave pushing at his senses, increasing as time went on.

Luckily, Sarah had the foresight to tell him about Zaun beforehand, and had reassured him that not all of Valoran's cities were like it in nature. During their voyage to the mainland, she had not been stingy with information and had quite readily answered his questions about the world he was now in.

So he had a destination in mind for when he inevitably left Zaun- recommended by the busty sea captain. Piltover, the City of Progress.

"_It'll be a good way for you to see just what Runterra's techmaturgy and hextechology is like," _Sarah had said, _"You'll be able to get a good feel of just how different it is from your own time. Plus it's a really nice place in its own right. A bit too clean and orderly for my liking, though, and not nearly enough pubs. And they close at ten! There's a curfew! A __curfew__!"_

Despite Sarah's outrage at these last few points, Naruto was still quite interested in the city.

_Sounds like fun, _he thought with a smile, _I'll probably try and start making my way over there tomorrow._

But as he sat there making plans, he heard the distinctive sound of angry yells, followed by a thud, and then, chillingly, the scream of a young child.

There was no hesitation.

One moment, there was a dark figure- swathed in a cloak that seemed to blend in with its surroundings- sitting hunched up outside the second floor of one of the old buildings, and the next, there was nothing but shifting shadows in the unsteady oil-born lamplight.

* * *

"Didn't I tell you that next time I find you rats in our rubbish I'd give you a hiding?!" roared an angry man in a white hat, brandishing a cane.

The objects of his ire, two grimy street rats that couldn't have been any older than eight, cowered in the trash in which they had been scavenging, recoiling away from the large, intimidating man in fear.

"S-sir… w-we're sorry!" squealed one, a young boy, unobtrusively shifting so he covered even a little bit of his sister with his body, "We were just so hungry… we didn't know… please! It won't happen again, I promise!"

"No…" said the man menacingly, bristling with anger as he approached slowly, making sure the two children had nowhere to go, "I need to make an example… to you and scum_ like_ you. This restaurant doesn't need filth like you anywhere near us. You don't even deserve to touch our bins, _trash_."

He stopped in front of the two children, who looked up helplessly at him, trembling in fear. The chef looked at them with hard eyes, tapping his cane fondly against his palm as he savoured the moment; savoured the power he had over these homeless vagrants.

Licking his lips, he slowly raised the cane over his head, and then brought it swishing down upon the boy, who closed his eyes and flinched in anticipation for the blow. But it never came.

After almost three whole seconds of waiting in terrified apprehension, the boy finally realised that the blow had not come, and mustered up the courage to crack open an eye. Then, seeing the impossible sight of the dreaded wooden cane stopped in mid-air by a nearly invisible wall of wind, his eyes widened to an almost comical size.

"…Janna?" he whispered hopefully, speaking the name of every homeless child's personal guardian angel.

But the figure standing at the mouth of the grimy back-alley holding out his hand was no white-clad paragon. It was instead an imposing looking person robed in a sinister black cloak, complete with a large hood that obscured every facial feature from sight.

"Enough," said the figure in a stern-sounding voice, "I do not know what these children have done, but let them go."

The chef, who had been looking at his cane in astounded disbelief, trying to force it down with all his strength onto the head of the insolent street rat who had dared to trespass onto _his _domain, quickly turned to the stranger with outrage displayed clearly on his face.

"Who are you?!" he demanded, "Why the hell do you think _you _have the right to stop me from punishing the trash who plunder our bins, and smear this restaurant's good name? Who are you? Tell me! I've a good mind to report you to the greycoats for this! Do you think you're a high and mighty Champion or something, do ya now? Well, fuck you, and fuck them too! What I want to do is my business, so if you know what's good for you, just piss right the fuck off!"

The stranger didn't say anything for a moment, but then, suddenly, in a single step, he was standing right in front of the chef with a swish of his black cloak, who staggered back in surprise.

"Ridiculous…" the cloaked man said, "To think you would go so far just for mouldy food. Can't you see these kids have no other choice? Is there no sympathy in your heart? No kindness?"

He paused, and then continued, "Hmmph, nevertheless, I'll pay you just to leave these kids alone. And… 'if you know what's good for you', you'll take the money and just turn a blind eye."

The chef's scowl deepened, if that was even possible.

"How dare you?! Fuck you and your money!" he yelled and then turned and lashed out with the cane, this time aiming at the hooded man.

"So be it," the other man declared as the wooden stick came flying at his face.

The chef felt his lips curl into a sadistic grin as the thin wooden rod was about to strike the impertinent stranger's face. But this pleasure soon turned to shock and incredulity as, once again, the stick stopped in mid-air. However, this time, it had not stopped because it had struck a wall of wind, but instead, because the stick _itself _refused to move.

"Wha…?" he said in confusion.

Then, to his horror, he saw the wood suddenly bend and twist in his hand, almost as if it were alive. He tried to drop it, but it just wrapped around his wrist of its own accord, twining around his fingers like the loving caress of a pet snake. He started to desperately shake his hand, as if he could dislodge it, but it was still moving, coiling around his forearm, his fingers. He realised then that it was starting to _grow _and undulating wooden strands began to split off from the main one, like the offshoot branches of a sapling sprouting in fast forward.

"G-get it off me!" he cried, trying futilely to pry off the writhing wood.

This turned out to be a bad idea, as the wood only took his second hand as more area to move onto, and latched onto it eagerly, binding it to his first like the demented handcuffs of some wild-haired nature witch. And the wood continued to multiply and climb all over his body, wrapping around him like bandages, tightly gripping him in an unforgiving embrace. By the time the ill-fated chef realised what was happening and opened his mouth to either scream or beg forgiveness, the rapidly flourishing wood had already covered his mouth, and the only thing that managing to escape was a low moan, stifled by the wooden gag.

"Hmm," said the cloaked man, tilting his head, "If you like your rubbish so much, why don't you get a little more acquainted with it?"

He raised his hand, and somehow, the paved stone of the alleyway rose as well, lifting the struggling man encased in wood easily into the air.

"I expect someone will find you in morning," continued the man in black pleasantly as the levitating ground floated over to the open dumpster and deposited its load into it unceremoniously before returning slowly to its original position.

The dumpster lid slammed shut satisfyingly without any sort of visible cause, before the hooded man turned to the two children, who had been watching on with bated breath and dumbfounded expressions.

"Now… you two," he said, and the children (twins, now that he had taken a good look at them) shuffled backwards subconsciously in fear.

The girl hid behind her brother, and he, for his part, bravely tried to stand his ground and provide at least some measure of comfort for his sibling.

"Y-yes?" squeaked the boy.

"Come with me."

* * *

The boy looked fearfully at the commanding figure in front of him as it forged its way forcefully to some unknown destination. The boy tried not to let it show on his face, but he was afraid. He had been scared of the chef, with his cruel eyes and forceful hands, but what he felt now was a different type of fear altogether. The being behind the dark, featureless hood, who he had personally seen could warp the very ground, and control nature and life like a plaything… _that_ thing incited no mere fear… what it brought was _terror._

The boy slid his hand into his sister's smaller one, gripping it tightly and trying to give reassurance when he himself was almost petrified. She, feeling this small measure of comfort, looked at him gratefully, but couldn't disguise the sheer desperate panic in her eyes and face. She had never been good with things like this. She was a gentle soul, and ever since the two of them had been forced out onto the streets, it had been hard on her, more so than anybody else. She didn't belong here. Her warm smile and generous heart deserved a brighter place.

The boy thought this with a rising sense of defeat, for despite how much he wished to dwell on other topics, he could not stop his thoughts from returning, torturously, to the grim figure ahead of them. It may have 'saved' them from the beating of the chef, but mere bruises would fade in time. Dark things, things of twisted magic, like those broken spirits of the Shadow Isles, could do much more terrible things to a person than mere contusions or lacerations. A 'soul' is an abstract concept to most people, but to those occult creatures from the Dark Sea, it was a tangible object, a currency to trade in and a delicacy to snack on. And they cared not from whence it came. A wealthy noble, or a penniless street orphan… all souls were equal.

This _thing, _this spectre, most likely spotted them in the alley and thought them easy pickings, a good set of souls to devour without much effort. It had plucked them effortlessly from the pathetic grasp of the human villain, and was now taking them to a place where it could enjoy them at its leisure.

The boy had no illusions about their chances of escape. Despite his young age, he was worldly enough to realise that with the monster's supernatural abilities, getting away was a slim chance at best- almost zero, really. But… he owed it to himself, and to his sister, to do everything he could- even if that chance was the slightest fraction above zero- to try and survive. They had come this far… it would be an affront to everything they had already been through, to throw it away and just roll over and die now… no matter how monstrous the foe seemed.

_Janna give me strength, _he thought to himself, squeezing his sister's hand.

"Here we are…" he heard the hooded man rumble as he stopped outside a wooden building.

The boy looked up at the building, and seeing the faded wooden sign with a peeling depiction of a cooked turkey, immediately assumed the worst.

_A restaurant? He's going to cook us before eating our souls? We've gotta get out of here!_

He tugged on his sister's hand, and quickly took off towards the side, aiming for the main road, in which there was still quite the number of quickly-moving Zaunites, although not to the scale of the daytime crowd. Hopefully the two of them would be able to hide amongst them and make the ghoul lose sight of them, or at least, dissuade it from making a scene in front of too many people.

He felt his sister get jerked along in surprise by his momentum, but when he directed a sharp glance over his shoulder at her, she soon got the memo and started to run as well. The two of them hurried towards the dim light and slight murmur of voices and footsteps, not even daring to look over their shoulders lest they see a ghastly shape bearing down on them.

They approached the main road… closer, closer, closer…

_Whoosh!_

The boy, startled, jumped in shock as black cloth fluttered suddenly in his field of vision. Behind him, his sister shrieked in surprise, as the hooded man appeared in front of them, heralded only by his flapping cloak. The movement had been undoubtedly unnatural- demonic speed, perhaps, or teleportation. Either way, the boy felt his spirits sink as he realised they had had no chance of escaping in the first place.

_So close, _he thought sadly, looking at the window of safety and light that lay just behind the hooded man's outstretched arms.

_Brackabrackabrackabrack!_

For the second time in what seemed like so many seconds, the boy's eyes widened as sudden movement startled him. This time, it wasn't caused by the menacing black figure, but instead a horse-drawn carriage clattering urgently down the main street, the snorting steeds driven to a powerful gallop as they raced off down the dark cobblestones into the confusing maze of twisting lanes.

"Careful, now," said the man in black, "Watch where you're running, boy."

The boy stood, trembling. As soon as he had processed those words, he realised their meaning. If he had continued his mad dash towards the road, he would have been directly in the way of that rapidly moving carriage- and probably trampled to death as a result. And not just him… his sister, too.

_Oh my god… _the boy thought to himself, _I almost killed us both!_

He gripped his sister's hand even tighter than ever, trying to reassure himself of her continued existence, to remind himself that he _hadn't _almost killed her, and, most of all, to give himself strength.

"Why did you save us?" he asked bravely.

The man was silent and only looked down at him. And only mere moments before the boy's frayed nerves snapped and he quailed beneath the gaze of the soul-eating ghoul, there came a reply, simple and to the point.

"Why not?"

"But we're just street rats! Orphans! Nobody wants us! We know that we're worthless, that we'll never get anywhere in life, so just leave us alone now! Let us live in peace!"

The dark figure stared at him for a moment, then knelt down to eye level. The boy stared unflinchingly into the lightless abyss under the hood, searching for a sign, any sign, that a shred of mercy would be shown, and the ghoul wouldn't eat him.

"Let's go eat," the man said after a moment, "Maybe you'll feel better with a meal in you."

The boy trembled, partly in fear, but now also a sliver of rage seeping in as well.

"Don't mess with us! We know you're a monster from the Shadow Isles, coming to eat our souls! Don't pretend like you're all nice and stuff! You're nothing but a rotting corpse under that hood! You couldn't eat normal food if you tried!"

The man tilted his head, and the boy felt rather than saw the gaze under the hood shift to his sister, who was still cowering behind him, trying to hide from the monster in front of them. Herself feeling the weight of the stranger's eyes, the female sibling shrunk even further behind her brother, trying to make herself as small a target as possible.

"Is that why you're scared?" said the man, and to the surprise of the children, there was a good-natured tone of amusement running through the voice.

With a single motion, he threw back the large hood, and revealed a face that, to the relief of the siblings, was one hundred percent human. Unruly blond hair spikily framed a lean and youthful face. The pleasant features were warm and open- his eyes were bright, almost sparkling with humour and kindness, and his lips curved up in a slight smile as he regarded them cheerfully.

Such a handsome and kindly face was almost the opposite of what the two children had feared to be under the mysterious hood. Just seeing such a refreshing expression- so friendly and different from the grim and severe frowns etched seemingly permanently on the citizens of Zaun, made the two siblings relax their guard subconsciously, and ease a little in their vigilant distrust.

"Well, it's clear I'm not this 'ghoul' you keep speaking of," said the man, grinning, "So why don't we go get that meal I mentioned? My treat, of course."

* * *

The old man smiled happily as he rubbed the gold coin between his fingers again. He couldn't believe his luck. To think that someone like him would have such a fortune come to him, and without any sacrifice or cost on his part, too! What luck! A gold coin like this represented maybe the entirety of two months' business, and all for the measly cost of three meals, too!

He stopped to wonder idly if the golden-haired young man who had paid such an exorbitant price for his meal was truly human. Really, what _normal _person would pay so much for a meal? Who was rich enough to have _gold coins _and then dine at a humble plebeian eatery such as this one?

And those strange whisker marks on his cheeks _did _seem to call upon the imagery of foxes- not the common ones that roamed the forests around Demacia or Bandle City, or even the rare winter foxes that hid in the frozen tundra of Freljord… no, those whiskers reminded him of the spirit foxes that lived in southern Ionia, a sight he had been fortunate enough to witness as a young man.

Perhaps the blond was one of those same spirit foxes taken human form. The old man had heard rumours about one of the female foxes even becoming one of the famed Champions, too… shapeshifting Ionian foxes weren't an unheard-of phenomenon.

_Hmm… _thought the old man, running a hand through his shock of white hair, _I wonder why he's in Zaun if he's from Ionia. Most Ionians don't like Zaun or Piltover… they usually say there's too much metal and technology, and it smothers the nature and magic. So what's someone like him doing here…_

"Hi!" chirped aforementioned whisker-cheeked blond as he planted an elbow on the counter in front of the old man, waving cheerily.

"GODS ABOVE!" yelled the old man, leaping up, startled badly.

"Oops, did I scare you? Sorry," said the younger man, chuckling sheepishly.

"No, no," waved the old man, clutching his chest to try and calm his rapidly beating heart, "What are you doing here, boy?"

"I was just hoping you could fix up a meal for my two young friends here."

The old chef sighed.

"You _do _realise its past closing time, don't you?"

"I'll pay you well," replied Naruto promptly.

"No, no," said the old man, shaking his head, "Not as easy as that. The hired help has gone home for the night already. Useless boy- no respect for the food he creates- but I need him to start up the ovens and help me out with the heavy stuff as I cook."

"I could do help out, if you tell me what to do," volunteered Naruto.

The old man looked at him closely.

"Alright, let's give it a shot," he said finally, "Cooking's not as easy as you might expect though."

Naruto smiled and moved to join the old man behind the counter. However, remembering something, he turned to the two children, who were still standing uncertainly at the door.

"Come on, sit down," he coaxed, "I'll get you a meal soon."

The boy frowned.

"We don't want to get the seats dirty, sir," he said uncertainly, "We're not worthy."

Naruto blinked.

"Don't call me sir," he said automatically, "My name's Naruto- call me that. Speaking of which, what are your names?"

"I'm Pell, and my sister is Nell."

"Alright, c'mere you two."

Naruto strode over to the two young people with quick, determined steps, standing in front of them with a thoughtful look on his face. He raised his hand, and, when he saw the siblings instinctively flinch away as if he were going to hit them, he felt a flash of disgust well up through him.

_These kids really have it rough, _he thought sadly.

"Here, let me, just…"

He waved his hand and a screen of translucent what chakra washed over Pell and Nell.

The twins shivered as a cool feeling drifted over their skin as the white light passed over them.

"What was that?" asked Pell looking over his shoulder and seeing that the light had disappeared after passing him.

"Go sit down, kid… can't say you're dirty now, can you?"

Pell looked himself over, and realised that, somehow, every speck of dirt and grime had disappeared from his clothes and body. His skin was clean and light, and his hair was showing its natural sandy-blond colour for the first time in several years. His clothes were no longer filth-ridden rags- they were still worn and tattered, but their colour had returned, and even the material itself seemed more supple and flexible. He touched his skin in wonderment, as if to confirm to himself that it wasn't covered with a coat of soot and dust, and turned to his sister. It was soon clear that she, too, was now looking clean and well-looked after. As Pell watched on, Nell wrinkled her nose and ran her fingers through her own fair hair, now no longer curled by layers of caked-on dirt, and smiled a little to herself.

Pell felt an irrational pang of guilt that he could not even arrange for her to clean herself regularly, so much that even seeing her own hair's natural colour was a rare thing.

_I'm a failure, _he thought, closing his eyes as he remembered his mother's instruction to 'be a strong man for Nell' just before she passed away and left the two as orphans.

The twins had never known their father.

"C'mon," said Pell, taking his sister's hand.

He led her to one of the tables, and sat down next to her.

_Maybe we can afford to trust in that blond guy just this once, _he thought, _Get a hot meal, treat ourselves just this once… gods know Nell needs it. _

Naruto looked at them fondly. Their bond was touching… particularly in the boy. His protectiveness and love for his sister, even at such a tender age, where most kids' highest priority would be themselves and their own personal happiness, was really quite admirable.

Naruto could only recall the slightest, most faint slivers of his own childhood. All he remembered was that it was hard, very hard. He remembered struggling through every day, of trying to keep a positive outlook and a cheerful demeanour, hoping the next day would be better. And most of all, he remembered that he was alone. He had no-one, like these siblings had each other, except maybe the old Hokage- and, well, he was Hokage. The village leader couldn't keep an eye on a village orphan all the time, no matter how much he cared for him. So Naruto was alone, for the most part, fighting to remain a part of a village that didn't seem to want him there at all.

Naruto sighed nostalgically. The village had grown to accept him and love him in the end… _hadn't it?_

He frowned. It had been too long, far too long. His time in the crystal had eradicated most of his memories of his former life in the real world, unsealed. All of his memories now were not of events, no matter how momentous it would have been at the time, but instead of people. Despite the ridiculously long time it had been since he had last seen them, Naruto refused to forget his precious people. No matter how many years, decades, centuries or even millennia had passed, they always remained in his heart- cheering him on and supporting him- a perpetual source of strength to drive him forward.

But even now, he felt a stirring of aching grief stir in his heart as he remembered that they were no longer there in reality. No matter how close he kept their treasured memories to his breast, those recollections were static, never changing. Their real counterparts no longer existed, couldn't talk with him, couldn't joke with him, couldn't compete with him, couldn't laugh with him.

_No… _thought Naruto, with the same steel that allowed him to stay sane during the aeons of being sealed… _I will meet more precious people… new ones… they will become my new sources of strength… my new reasons for living._

He stopped and looked out. His gaze encompassed the two children sitting at a table, curiously turning over the silverware and tableware they had never seen before with excited wonderment, and then went further. It took in the city of Zaun, strange and complex, with its own set of secrets and stories, both good and bad… and then went even further.

It saw a whole new world, there for him to grasp as his own.


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto whistled cheerfully as he walked back into the kitchen, a pair of dirty plates in his hands. He placed them into the sink with the pots and pans and then leaned against the counter, turning to his companion conversationally.

"So how long've you been a chef, old man?" he asked.

The old chef- who had since introduced himself by the name Barnholdt- stretched out his tired fingers.

"Oh, many years now," he said, "I could never be bothered counting. More than twenty, I'd say."

Naruto nodded.

"That's cool," he said with a smile, "Being a chef seems like a good job. Feeding people and making them happy."

Barnholdt laughed.

"That's right, son. That's the real job of being a chef. Making good food and watching them enjoy it. No better feeling in the world. Say… what do you do for a living, young man?"

Naruto opened his mouth to reply but stopped as he realised he didn't know what to say. He was a shinobi, that was simply a fact of who he was, but it was no longer his _profession. _What good was a shinobi who didn't answer to a kage and wasn't registered with a hidden village?

However, Barnholdt didn't seem to think much of the silence and just continued to talk.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I suppose with your wealth, you wouldn't _need _a job! Haha… being a humble chef like myself must be so plebeian to your eyes. You're a noble, aren't you?"

Naruto blinked again as he took in these words. The old man seemed to be misunderstanding _a lot. _But, thinking quickly, he managed to get his head into gear and say something before Barnholdt's impression of him got too far-fetched. Just as Barnholdt was saying something ridiculous like "Do foxes even have nobles? Do they live in a hierarchical society like us?", Naruto quickly interrupted.

"I'm not nobility," he said, deciding to disregard the last remark about foxes as he had no idea why it was relevant (maybe the old man was going senile?), "Um… some relatives of mine died suddenly and unexpectedly left me their fortune while… while telling me to- to live in, um… Val… Valdoran. Cause I lived across the sea, y'know?"

"In Ionia," nodded Barnholdt understandingly, "I was there once… nice place. But I can see why your relatives would send you over here to Valoran. Ionia… there's not much there in the way of technology or development. They're still using archaic swords and their funky martial arts and stuff while we've got magic guns and hextech bombs! The future is here in places like Zaun… and… Piltover too, I guess. Yes, Ionia's good for a vacation- if you want to get closer to nature or see the funny rituals and customs of the locals, but really, the mainland's the place to be for a young person like yourself."

Naruto wondered why everyone seemed to think he was from Ionia. He had never even _seen _the place! Granted, Sarah had told him that the crystal's island he had been found in _was _rather close to Ionian territory, but it wasn't actually part of the region, so it didn't count!

_Do I just look Ionian or something? _he thought while nodding absentmindedly to whatever Barnholdt was rambling about, _On a side note, Barnholdt really likes to talk. I remember old man Hokage did as well_. _Maybe it's an old person thing? Ah well, at least he's friendly._

"- and really, even though everyone sees Noxus and ugh, _Demacia _as the most prominent city-states, their technology can't hold a candle to ours. They just pour a ton of resources into their military- muscle-bound idiots. No interest in research and development at all. Mark my words- in ten years' time, Zaun will have its time. Just wait. But I'm just a lowly chef, what would I know about politics?" Barnholdt chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Naruto smiled a little even as he inwardly grimaced. The conversation was a little hard to follow, and Barnholdt seemed a little biased on certain topics (Zaun!), but this was the world he had been thrust in and he needed to get a grasp on it sooner or later.

"Ah, don't worry," he said, trying to steer the conversation to a topic he was a little more well-versed in, "Chefs are respectable. Hah, when I was younger I would've never imagined myself as a chef in a million years. I wanted to be a hero, y'know, beating up bad guys and saving the world and everything. I wanted to be the leader of my village and be the strongest guy out there who could protect everyone. But now, I'm… older and had _time _to reflect. Now I wouldn't mind being a chef at all. I've a new respect for the little things, because in the grand scheme of things- time… well, time wipes away most glories and victories. To make whoever we can happy is perhaps the best way to use our lives, I think."

"You've got a good head on your shoulders for such a young man," said Barnholdt, looking at Naruto fondly, "You give me hope for the youth of today. I had that mentality too, at first… in fact, I joined the Zaunite army for a number of years… ah…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow as his companion stopped abruptly and looked a little mortified. Of course, he wasn't to know that Barnholdt had just realised that Naruto, being Ionian (he wasn't), was probably still a little touchy about the Noxian invasion of Ionia, which Zaun had been a large part in facilitating.

When he realised that Barnholdt wasn't going to continue for whatever reason, Naruto decided to continue the conversation.

"Yeah," he said, "I think being a chef is many times more preferable to being a soldier. Death is a harsh thing. I think it's better for everyone if we don't hasten others to it. Because really, _it's the ones left behind that suffer the most._"

There was a poignant silence after these heartfelt words. Naruto was lost in a haze of memories, his eyes staring blankly into space, seeing things… or perhaps _people _that were no longer there. He was suddenly awfully aware of his own heartbeat, beating ridiculously loudly in his heart.

_What am I doing? _he thought to himself, _Why am I so alone?_

Barnholdt, for his part, could sense that something was not quite right with his younger companion. As much as he liked to talk, even a friendly soul like himself couldn't find the words to intrude into such a tense quietude. The young man in front of him was no ordinary person- that much was clear in his mind. Eyes like those spoke volumes about the experiences their owner had gone through, the trials, the ordeals. Those were not just eyes that had seen war, like Barnholdt had initially guessed. They had seen much worse… those were eyes that had stared into powers beyond the understanding of man and seen horrors beyond its wildest imagination.

Naruto broke out of his reflection as he realised that the silence had dragged on for almost five full minutes, both men busy with their respective thoughts. Sighing, he shook his head almost violently as he centred himself, dispelling the negative thoughts that had haunted him regularly for his entire tenure in the crystal. They were undoubtedly heavy, but he had dealt with them for so long that he could easily brush them off now.

But, this had not always been the case.

They had been especially bad during the first few years of living in the crystal- alone in the crushing isolation of the crystal, he had wanted nothing more than to kill himself and reunite with his love ones.

Of course, the crystal's regeneration ability kept him alive, kept him there to torture himself with these thoughts more. Naruto had spent decades in a depressive haze, never smiling, sitting still for years on end, the crystal's cursed power meaning he didn't need to eat, drink, sleep, or even blink or breathe. It was the perfect mental torture. Nothing is worse than wanting to kill yourself with all your might, to the point where you would sell your soul to the devil and condemn the entire the world to hellfire if only to _die_… and simply not being able to.

Naruto hit his lowest low. He hit the furthest point any human could go. Nothing else could compare. Not the most twisted torture any demented mind could think of, not the worst pain imaginable inflicted by any cruel god. In his time in the crystal, Naruto broke. It was undeniable. As a human, as a person, he completely snapped. Something changed. Naruto spent centuries sitting in the crystal, alone with nothing but his thoughts, reminiscing about better times, about a life past, about friends left behind… no, friends who left _him _behind.

He cried so much- the tears leaving silvered streaks down his face which immediately dried up- only for his ducts to refill instantaneously, ready to release their emotional cargo in an infinite cycle of sorrow. He screamed his rage at the walls, only for it to echo emptily around the perfectly circular room, with no one to hear him. He begged someone, a god, _any god_, to free him from his suffering. He renounced every value he could think of, cursed every friend, damned every soul on the planet to hell. His nails tore bloody tracks into his palms, he ripped at the roots of his hair, he gouged at his eyes- all in some futile attempt of causing a physical pain that would distract him, even for a moment, of the indescribable agony in his heart.

But in the greatest of adversary, in the greatest darkness, the greatest shadow- is where the greatest light, the most brilliant flame is born.

Naruto still wasn't sure what exactly happened in his darkest hour- after all, an immeasurable amount of time has passed since those terrible times. Maybe it was a hallucination, maybe it was a higher power at work, maybe it was sheer dumb luck- whatever it was, _something _came from within him, bolstering his spirits and reviving his will to live. Personally, Naruto had always believed that it was the remnants of his friends' wills that saved him at that critical time. They had seen him in despair, and reached beyond their grave to offer him salvation- their final gift.

It was also at this time that he truly rediscovered the wondrous properties of chakra and thus begun his long journey of discovery and research that pretty much defined his stay in the crystal.

* * *

The two had been in silence for a while now, and neither could find the words nor disposition to restart their conversation. It had wandered off into unreachable territory, full of raw nerves and sensitive topics close to the heart. So they stood there, quiet, reflective.

Presently, though, Naruto had had enough and turned around to the sink. He didn't like doing nothing but thinking. After all, he had far too much experience at it for his own liking.

Putting the plug into the sink, he turned on the hot water tap, letting it flow down into the sink with the dirty dishes. He quickly spotted the detergent and squeezed some of the green liquid in as well.

"Oh, you needn't bother with that!" said Barnholdt quickly, "I can get the hired help to that in the morning."

Naruto turned to him.

"It's alright," he said, "It's no trouble at all."

Barnholdt furrowed his brows in confusion as he heard soft splashing sounds coming from the sink even after Naruto had closed the tap. He peered over the blond's shoulder to look into the sink, and what he saw made him gasp audibly in surprise.

The plates were moving by themselves. They were suspended in the air by invisible hands, and scrubbed thoroughly by levitating scourers and sponges while water from the sink lifted itself out and sluiced itself over the porcelain plates as if it had a mind of its own. After being washed, the plates then floated gently over to the drying rack, where a mysterious wind lightly dried them as they were laid down.

"That's a mighty convenient magic, boy," said Barnholdt, "I've never seen anything like it. That's remarkable control you've got there."

Naruto blinked.

"Oh," he said, "This much is nothing. It's almost like second nature for me to do stuff like this."

He wasn't boasting- it was the simple truth. His control over chakra really was unparalleled. Nobody in all of history could now match him in regards to their mastery of the energy, except maybe the Sage of Six Paths himself. However, what was even more amazing was that Naruto himself, the most qualified expert of the stuff, still felt that what he knew, what he had _learned, _was still the tip of the iceberg.

* * *

"Aw… isn't that cute," the grizzled old man muttered under his breath as he leaned against the doorway.

Naruto, standing a little ways forward, could only smile softly in agreement. After taking care of the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, they had gone back out into the dining area to check on the twins again. And what they saw was a touching sight to warm even the coldest of frozen hearts.

Still at the table which they had just stuffed their little bellies on, Pell and Nell sat in chairs much too high for their feet to reach the ground. The dishes which had held their meals on were licked clean and stacked neatly with the exception of the last one, which had held a simple dessert of vanilla ice-cream and strawberry glaze. That particular plate was still in front of the pair, although it, too, was bereft of its contents. Nell still clutched at the oversized dessert spoon in her hand, a tell-tale smear of white running across her cheek.

The two were sleeping soundly where they sat, Nell resting her head on her ever-dependable brother's shoulder as he did the same to her crown. The two looked as small and vulnerable as ever, but for once, they had small, satisfied smiles on their faces as they breathed deeply in unison, carried away together to whatever wondrous dreamland sleep had brought them.

Naruto felt something inside him twist almost uncomfortably, and something pricked at the corner of his eye, but he just continued to smile wordlessly. Lifting a hand, a thick blanket wove itself into existence around the pair's shoulders, wrapping around them comfortingly. A second wave of his hand, and a pair of warm, harmless flames flickered to life into the air as well, providing heat and a homely light.

* * *

"They're good kids," remarked Barnholdt, "They yours?"

Naruto sipped at the strange, warm drink and snuck a glance at the two sleeping twins sitting a few tables away before his eyes rolled incredulously to stare at his older companion, eyebrow raised.

"Do I _look _old enough for kids?" he asked rhetorically, his hands coming off the wooden to table to run through his hair.

Barnholdt shrugged and raised his hands in surrender.

"Oh, well you never know. You seem older than you look- what's so funny?"

Naruto stifled his chuckles and shook his head.

"Nothing, nothing… they're not mine. I only met them today- they're just some street orphans."

"Mmm…" grunted Barnholdt, "It's a damn shame they have to live like that though. It's a story that's all too common in Zaun."

He waved a hand at Naruto's questioning look.

"Oh, you know… things happen- 'accidents'. People go missing, records are erased, and the authorities don't really give a damn. Zaun's not a very nice place to live if you step out of line."

"Why don't you leave?"

"Boy, I did say Zaun's not a nice place to live if you fuck up, but don't get me wrong. It has its good points, too. It's my home, and I wouldn't give up on it for anything. I don't even like the peace and rainbow hippy shit that Demacia and… ugh… _Piltover _spout. That's just asking for trouble, if you ask me. The more you pretend to be good and proper, the uglier and darker it is beneath the surface. At least with Zaun you know what's gonna happen, no pussyfooting around. You mess around with the wrong guys and you're gonna end up floating in the sewer with the flesh gnawed off your bones by the waste-rats. No one in their right mind sticks their nose where it don't belong.

But in goddamn Piltover, you mess with the wrong folk and they're probably drown you in bureaucracy. You'll suffocate under the paperwork they throw at you, before the red tape and hoops you have to jump through to stay afloat will inevitably trip you up, and you lose everything you own and have to live in a box by the river. Bleagh… just thinking about it makes me sick."

_Note to self, _thought Naruto, _Barnholdt _really _doesn't like Piltover. Maybe … I shouldn't tell him that's where I'm thinking of heading next._

Barnholdt scratched at his beard.

"So you said you were travelling around Valoran, young man? Where have you been so far?" he asked.

"I've actually just been in Zaun, really. I was dropped off at the Zaunite port, and I've been here ever since. I've actually been thinking of moving on soon, maybe tomorrow or something."

"What's going to happen to the kids?" asked Barnholdt, gesturing roughly at the aforementioned children with his raised glass.

Naruto opened his mouth, but stopped as he realised he didn't know what to say.

"Haven't thought about it, eh?" said Barnholdt knowingly, taking a careless swig of his drink, "Well, I don't expect you to, if you just picked 'em up off the street today."

"Should I take responsibility for them?" asked Naruto, feeling a slight edge of panic start to creep in.

It was a novel feeling, as he hadn't felt anything of the sort for so long. In the crystal, nothing ever changed- there was no stimuli. Apathy was what dominated Naruto's psyche for most of his tenure in the crystal. Sure, there was the occasional spark of excitement when he discovered some new hidden facet of chakra research, as well as the rare negative thought that drifted along every couple of years, but these were by far the minority. The crystal really had wiped out almost every remnant of his humanity over time.

But not completely. And from those shards, a person can slowly rebuild themselves. The moment Naruto awoke- not an awakening from his dreams in the crystal, but a true awakening, into the real world- those tender connections immediately leapt for each other again, pulling together what really was no more than a husk- a vessel of chakra research- and refashioning it into the person it once was.

For someone who had tasted or felt true air, had not smelt anything, had not _seen _anything, had not _spoken_ for so long… it all came rushing back. Maybe the crystal prison, along with its cursed ability to prevent death and preserve a body indefinitely, also managed to catch the metaphysical aspect of its contents.

After all, the Naruto who emerged from the crystal that one fateful day in front of Sarah Fortune and Nami was in many ways the very same as the one who was sealed inside the crystal a mind-bogglingly long time ago. It was as if the body that was laid to rest just sat there for a day and then got out.

The muscles were still trained and powerful, even if the mind had forgotten how to direct them. He could feel it in him. He could walk, he could run, he could jump, he could throw a kunai, he could do a backflip. It was just _yesterday _that he was doing all these things. He was fighting… er, who was he fighting again? _Why was he sealed?_

Alright, so not everything was as it was the day he was sealed.

But even without his _declarative _memories- what colour his old Academy clothes were, how much milk cost at the corner store- he still had his _procedural _memories- _how _to do things. He was completely able to go through everyday life… if he was ever inclined to do such a thing in the first place. His tongue remembered how to speak; his mind recalled words and strung them together from the thoughts that sprang to being in his head. And more importantly, his emotions came back.

When he was released, he felt happy, a little golden light. When he talked to Nami and Sarah, he felt grateful, an all-encompassing aura of warmth. When he was in that tiny bubble with Sarah, he felt embarrassed, a rush of burning heat. When he saw Pell and Nell about to get beaten by the chef, he felt angry, a roaring flame. These emotions came back like second nature, but it had been so long since he had felt them, that it felt so strange, so alien. It was almost overpowering in its intensity.

But if this was what it took to rejoin the world, then it was a small price to pay. Naruto welcomed the nervousness he felt presently, the slight unease that manifested as a tingling in his stomach, because it meant he was one step closer to being a _person _again.

_The twins… _

Could he be trusted to look after them? Responsibility for a life, for a dependent, was a big thing, let alone for two. He was a guy who didn't know the first thing about the world he lived in. He didn't even know the correct name of the continent he was on. He didn't know what money the people used, what customs they had, what social norms had developed in the time he had been sleeping. He hadn't talked to a living person in millennia until just a week ago.

What good was someone such as he? How could he take care of them? What could he teach them about the world when he himself knew so little? And children needed a role model, didn't they? Someone to look up to, someone to set a good example for them.

All he could do was fight, and play with chakra. That was all he ever needed to do, ever since he was born. Fight, and kill. It was in his blood. He could feel it, even now… _especially _now, given there were once again _people_ to kill. Not even the long years in the crystal could erase that part of him. Shinobi are not good parents. After all, back in his day, it was more common to see ninja kids as tools than as actual children.

Now Naruto was a naturally confident person with an engaging and outgoing personality, but the factors that stacked up against him now was enough to make even him apprehensive.

_Should I take responsibility for them? _

The question echoed again in his mind.

"The question might be… '_can I'?_" he said aloud.

Barnholdt squinted a little at him.

"Anything'll be better than here," he said with a matter-of-fact shrug, "If you can take care of yourself, enough to survive in Zaun without any connections, then you can take care of those kids. They are street orphans in Zaun at the absolutely worst time of their life. They became orphans old enough to remember another life and not have adapted to the streets yet, and too old to be taken care of by orphanages or other street kids, but too young to be able to take care of themselves or get employed out of even sympathy. Not to mention there's two of them, and they don't want to split up. Not too many people in Zaun would take the risk and cost of taking in two kids to raise, no matter how much labour you could possibly ring out of them. Like I said, there's a lot of orphans in Zaun. Too many."

Naruto's eyes lowered, and his fist clenched.

"I see," he said lowly.

"You don't have to take them in," continued Barnholdt, "Really, there's no obligation at all. In fact it's probably better if you just leave them be. You're too young to have to take care of little ones. I'll see if I can drop them off with an acquaintance of mine. He runs a factory, and 'employs' quite a few street kids. He'll work 'em hard, that's for sure, and the conditions and pay aren't that great, but at least they'll be together and they'll be clothed and fed. And greycoats very rarely take from factories, so they'll be a bit safer."

"…_no_…"

"Sorry, what's that? I didn't quite catch what you said," said Barnholdt, cupping an ear, "I'm not as young as I was, boy, speak up."

"I'm happy to try and take care of them," said Naruto, louder, "If they'll have me, I'd gladly look after them to the best of my ability."

"You sure?" asked Barnholdt, looking at Naruto sceptically, "It's not an easy undertaking, to look after some kids. You have any experience?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Not really," he said.

"Eh… ah well. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Like I said, anything's better than the life they lead right now. I take it you'll be taking them with you on your journey?"

"Yeah, most likely."

"So you have an idea of where you're headed? To Bandle City? Or up north, maybe?" said Barnholdt curiously.

"Oh, I was thinking maybe Piltover," replied Naruto, before realising that he had made a mistake.

"What?!" Barnholdt burst out loudly, "_Piltover? _Why would you want to go there?"

"It was recommended to me by the captain of the ship I sailed on."

"Bleagh… trust me, boy, don't go to Piltover, it's not worth it. Plus, they don't really like Zaunites, so taking the twins there might not be the best option."

Naruto blinked.

"Right, I see. Well, I guess we'll go somewhere else then. Ah, that reminds me, do you know where I can get some supplies in Zaun?" he said, remembering some things he wanted to do.

"Supplies? Ah, just ask around at the general store I guess. There's one right around the corner."

"Thank you. That'll be useful… but what about more specialised stuff? Like metal… weapon-grade metal?"

"Just the metal?" asked Barnholdt in confusion.

"Yeah, just the metal's fine. I don't plan on staying here long enough for a custom order to be completed," said Naruto.

"Well, there should be a metal working factory around… tell you what, if you give me a list of the supplies you need, I could probably try and rustle up what you want by the end of tomorrow."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Really? That'd be great, thanks, old man! You're a lifesaver!"

"Think nothing of it," chuckled Barnholdt, "Here."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pad and a nibbed pen like the ones waiters used to take orders on. Uncapping the pen, he passed both to Naruto, who accepted them with a wide smile before starting to jot down his list.

"Hmm…"

Naruto tapped the back of the pen on his chin as he racked his brain for anything else he might need before embarking on a journey.

_That should be it…_

He handed the pad back to Barnholdt, who scanned through it with a curious expression, before blinking in confusion and raising a perplexed eyebrow.

* * *

Nell awoke, feeling warmer and more comfortable than she could ever remember. Every morning, ever since she and Pell had started living on the streets, she had awoken with a crick in her neck and a bad smell in her nose. The twins spent every night wrapped in a stinking, grease-stained sheet, sleeping together to conserve heat, but without a proper house, the makeshift shelter they lived in was prone to freezing draughts. Also, judging by how itchy her skin felt, Nell was sure there were bed-bugs or some sort of biting insect sharing their 'bed' as well.

But this morning, the first thing she had noticed was there was no smell. If the garbage-ridden state of their living space and the oily, stained blanket wasn't bad enough, Pell and Nell were only able to bathe once in a blue moon. The content of Zaun's rivers were more chemical than water at this point, and taking a quick dip would probably yield the loss of your hair more than it would get your skin clean. Without the securing of enough water to clean their bodies also meant they couldn't wash their clothes (of which they only had one set of), and as a result of this, Nell and Pell were a pair of rather smelly children.

However, for some reason, at the moment she could smell perfumed cedar-wood, and the tantalising scents of frying oils and spices alongside the meaty smell of sizzling fats and aromatic seasonings. Added to this, instead of the cold, hard ground, she was wrapped up in some sort of warm, soft cocoon. It was a kind of thick springy material, and it felt so wonderful on her skin that Nell thought she could melt away.

_Am I in heaven? _she thought to herself, _Am I dead?_

Immediately she groped blindly for her brother, for if she had truly passed, then her brother must have as well. They did everything together. He was her closest person, the single most important existence in the universe to her. He was her sun, her moon, her everything.

Thankfully, she quickly found the rough hand she sought, the familiar shape of the fingers fitting perfectly into her own hand. She had gripped that hand so much that she knew the shape off by heart. She could recognise that hand anywhere.

Pell mumbled a little in his sleep as she wrapped her fingers lovingly around his own, but ultimately did not wake. Nell smiled a little to herself. Let him sleep… he deserved it.

Then, like a thunderbolt, the events of the day before hit her in a sudden surge. Almost getting beaten by the chef, meeting that mysterious cloaked man who they had thought was a soul-sucking ghoul but turned out to be a really nice, handsome blond, and then eating at a restaurant… god, the _food! _Nell licked her lips subconsciously and felt a little drool collect at the corner of her lips as she recalled the textures and flavours and smells of yesterday's feast. For a girl who had subsisted mainly off scraps from the rubbish heaps, it had almost been overwhelming… but in a good way. Even now, just the memory of the food (which was actually rather standard fare and not anything special in the scheme of things) was enough to send her head into a dizzying spiral of pleasure.

_So… what…?_

Collecting herself and blinking away the sleep, Nell looked around. She had been sleeping alongside her brother, wrapped in a blanket (she took the opportunity to touch it once more, marvelling at its softness) on one of the cushioned benches of the restaurant. It wasn't the best bed, but to the poor orphan girl, it might as well have been a cradle filled with clouds and rainbows.

She raised her head again, looking to the source of the sunlight, and sitting there, framed in the morning light, was her blond saviour, wreathed in the golden rays. It was such an apt image, such a splendid sight, that her breath caught unexpectedly in her throat.

The young man was looking out the window, maybe admiring the view, or contemplating something, but as if he felt her gaze, turned to meet her eyes. He smiled warmly at her, and she inadvertently dropped her own gaze, as if she had been caught doing something naughty.

Shyly, she hesitantly raised her eyes once more, to see that his kind smile had widened into something a little more mischievous, and his beautifully blue eyes had an amused twinkle flickering in their cerulean depths. He winked conspiratorially, and she slowly responded with a timid smile of her own.

And at that moment, deep in her heart, she knew with the irrefutable certainty that only children possess, that she could trust this man.

And so her smile gradually grew, until it beamed sunnily from her lovely face.


	7. Chapter 7

"What are you doing?" asked Nell curiously.

Naruto looked up at the twins from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"I'm about to do some meditation and light chakra exercises," he said as he placed his fingers together in an upside-down diamond shape.

"Chakra?" repeated Nell, "What's that?"

"It's like magic," explained Naruto, resolving to try and replace his use of the word 'chakra' with 'magic' from then on.

It would be too tiresome to explain, and the two basically had the same function anyway.

"Ooh, can we watch?" asked Nell excitedly.

Pell nodded as well, although he didn't seem as enthusiastic as his sister.

"Sure," said Naruto, "I can't imagine it's very interesting though."

Closing his eyes, he allowed his chakra to flow freely through his body, immediately feeling a sense of calm and oneness with the world permeating his being. To him, his chakra was no longer a mysterious _thing, _it wasn't a strange energy that he called on through techniques, it wasn't a muscle that he trained and used, it was more like an old and close friend, a bosom brother, someone whom he had relied on for as long as he remembered, whose bond meant it would do anything for him in a heartbeat if he so much as wished it.

His understanding of chakra had grown, had evolved. While others believed that the pinnacle of chakra mastery was to make the energy into an extension of one's self to the point where a mere thought would become action in the most rapid of heartbeats- where energy coalesced and released in a quicksilver reaction- Naruto knew this to be wrong. This was a delusion, a false wall. This limited the boundless potential chakra to the pathetically low ceiling of human reaction speed. Synapses can only fire so quickly, thoughts can only form so swiftly, decisions can only be made so promptly.

Chakra was so much more. It was the force that powered the universe. It existed in every mote of dust dancing in a ray of sun, every leaf in the oldest of ancient trees, every drop of molten iron from the blacksmith's forge, every speck of mortar and brick that held up the grandest structures built by the civilisations of old. Why do things fall to the ground? Why does water freeze? Why does light shine the way it does and why does it form shadows? Why do people die? These questions may have a rational answer, a scientific explanation, but Naruto knew that these rational answers were not the entire story. These rational answers could only exist because they are governed by a higher force, something that enforced the rules and some semblance of consistency through the world and beyond.

He had only scratched the surface of the true nature of chakra, had only glimpsed a tiny fraction of its wondrous, many-faceted face- even after so many years- but it was enough to convince him that chakra was much, much greater than any shinobi could ever hope to imagine. Not even the Sage of Six Paths had come close. Really, how humans could ever come to harnessing its power was beyond him. It had been a miracle. No, more than a miracle. Not even the power of a god, _any_ god, could have manipulated the infinitesimal odds to bring together the strings of fate so that humans could manage to even _begin_ to play with the power of chakra.

It was only after millennia after millennia of studying chakra, of giving himself into the chakra and witnessing it in all its glory, that Naruto attained a greater understanding of the power. It was not a living being, but it _acted _like one. It didn't have a mind, didn't have emotions, couldn't talk, but it could react, had preferences, could strike out, could _attack. _It was one huge entity that again, enforced its ultimate axiom of _consistency, _but at the same time, was split into an infinite amount of itself, that simultaneously attracted and repelled each other. It had a motion ingrained into itself, a grand unceasing march that spiralled in a celestial dance around the cosmos.

He hadn't learned to _control _chakra; he had learned to ease himself into its pattern, to join its transcendental song and allow himself to become one with it. And as such, he could start to _direct_ the dance himself, to choreograph the chakra in the space around him, to bend that minute iota of the total power of the universe to his whim. The chakra knew it, knew _him_, and allowed it. It had no emotions, it didn't _care. _As long as it didn't violate its laws, the chakra allowed itself to be shaped and twined, and even welcomed it, for the dance was never-ending, and these tiny deviations in its unknowable steps brought character to its great and esoteric history.

Naruto felt the chakra run through his being, and coaxed it to move quicker, rougher, more powerfully. It surged through him like a raging river, a violent torrent, but retaining the serenity and calmness of a gentle stream. It flowed in and out of him at will. It ran a circuit around his body but at the same time, passed straight through him as if the borders of his body didn't exist. The power accelerated until it was no longer 'moving', and instead was simply 'existing'. It wasn't a flow of chakra Naruto was controlling anymore… he had _become _a being of chakra- a vessel of the stuff shaped like a person.

He smiled, and the chakra 'smiled' with him. It wasn't quite joy that the chakra was exhibiting, for joy was a human emotion, but the chakra _did_ welcome him. He was its child, its supplicant, its contemporary, its dearest lover. He was the blessed lamb of its fold and its crown jewel. It loved him more intensely and in more ways than any human would or could.

He may have been the shinobi world's Chosen One, its Child of Prophecy, but that was nothing compared to what he was now. The shinobi world was gone, its choices forgotten, its prophecies lost. Now he was the beloved of chakra itself, one who had been baptised by it and clasped in its all-consuming embrace. And that touch was eternal.

* * *

Nell watched in fascination as Naruto closed his eyes and furrowed his brows, obviously concentrating on something. She could feel something… a tension in the air, an unnatural stillness that hung around her and pushed down on her shoulders like a heavy mist. She shivered.

"Nothing's happening," whispered Pell.

"No, something's happening… we just can't see it," replied Nell, her eyes remaining transfixed on the cross-legged figure in front of her.

Pell made an irritated sound, but nonetheless continued to sit next her as she watched. He remained there for a few more minutes, shifting where he sat every now and then, before he had finally had enough and got to his feet.

"I'm going to watch Mister Chef make breakfast," he announced, "You coming? Or are you gonna keep watching and hoping something interesting happens?"

"Look!" said Nell, "His marks have disappeared!"

"What marks?"

"The ones on his cheeks- the ones that look like whiskers. They've faded!"

Nell pointed to Naruto's cheeks, where, indeed, his distinctive whisker-like marks had thinned to mere lines.

"So?"

Pell sounded decidedly unimpressed.

"Anyway, you coming?" he said.

"No, I think I'll keep watching."

"Suit yourself," shrugged Pell, walking off.

Nell tore her eyes away from Naruto for a second to shoot a confused glance at her brother. Wasn't he excited? This was _magic _being moulded right in front of him, and he didn't care? _What?_

Turning back, she continued to watch, noting how Naruto's chest rose and fell with each deep, measured breath. Feeling a little foolish, she folded her own fingers into an imitation of the same diamond shape that Naruto's were in. She almost giggled at the absurdity of it all, but it died in her throat when she realised what she was seeing wasn't just her imagination.

Naruto was _blurring._

It wasn't her eyes. Everything else was crystal-clear- it was just Naruto. The edges of his body, his skin, his hair, his clothes- they were starting to blend in with each other, as if someone was mixing watercolour paints together on the canvas of the world. Nell leaned in closer, trying to get a better look, but even as she approached, she couldn't quite decipher what was happening. She just couldn't quite _see_.

_This… this is magic! _she thought excitedly.

Her eyes sparkled as she realised there was a slight pressure on her skin, a humming, vibrating sensation that tingled and raised gooseflesh as it passed. Nell clenched her fist and poked out her tongue as she tried to absorb everything that was happening and commit it to memory.

She couldn't help but feel like there was some momentous event happening behind the scenes, even though she couldn't see anything except the slight haze around the person in front of her. It was just a feeling… a feeling she couldn't quite shake.

Biting her lip, she crossed her legs and placed her fingers back into the diamond shape, noticing they were trembling slightly. Giving Naruto's serene expression one last long look, Nell shut her own eyes, and imagined with all her might that she, too, could use magic.

Unbeknownst to her, at that moment, a tiny blue spark jumped from the space between her joined fingers for the merest of moments before disappearing into nothingness, like a candle in the ocean.

* * *

"Naruto!" called Barnholdt as he lumbered into the room, carrying a large box, "I've got the supplies you wanted! Well, most of them… we'll have to go pick up the metal later in the day."

"Splendid!" Naruto said, springing up and relieving Barnholdt of his burden, "Thanks a lot! How much do I owe you?"

Barnholdt watched in bemusement as the younger man picked up the heavy load effortlessly with one arm and braced it against his hip as if it weighed less than a feather. He shook his head with a smile.

"It's covered with the gold coin you paid before," he said.

"Supplies? Are you going somewhere, mister?" asked Nell.

"Call me Naruto," Naruto said kindly, "And yes, they're supplies for travelling- I'm planning on leaving Zaun soon… at the end of the day, maybe."

"Oh… I see…" said Nell, feeling a pang of disappointment.

Her brother, knowing her almost as well as she did, took her hand wordlessly and shared a consoling look with her. Feeling a tell-tale prickle at the edges of her eye, Nell blinked furiously to try and keep her tears back. Somehow, she couldn't bear to be seen as weak and childish by her saviour, even though all she wanted to do right now was cry into her brother's shoulder.

Abandonment… even though Naruto probably didn't mean any harm and Nell didn't expect him to take care of them forever (she felt he had done _more_ than enough and was extremely grateful), she couldn't help but feel a little betrayed and hurt that he would leave so soon. It was like the death of her mother all over again- it was again just Pell and her together by themselves, against the cruel and unforgiving world.

No, perhaps it was even worse, because Naruto had saved them, had given them hope, had proven to be such a fine upstanding person, a _role model… _someone who didn't treat them as trash, or even as children, but as equals- a _friend._

Pell squeezed her hand.

"Will you come visit?" he asked softly.

Naruto blinked at him.

"Oh," he said, palming a fist.

"You haven't asked them yet?" asked Barnholdt in surprise.

"I knew I was forgetting something," laughed Naruto, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

He turned and bent down to get on eye-level with the twins.

"Hey, Nell, Pell… do you guys want to come with me on my travels? I don't have much experience taking care of people, but I'll do my best. We'll be going all over the place, so if you prefer to sleep with a roof over your head you're welcome to stay in Zaun… old man Barnholdt said he could arrange a place for you guys if that's what you choose. It's up to you."

Pell shared a glance with his sister, an excited smile growing on his face. He knew her answer before his eyes even met hers, and upon seeing the sparkle in her eyes, knew there was no questioning their answer.

"Oh, please let us come with you!" he said happily, while his sister nodded along frenetically.

"Great!" grinned Naruto, standing up and rocking back on his heels, "That's sorted!"

Barnholdt smiled at seeing the little scene. In the short time they had known each other, Naruto had grown on him as a cheerful and friendly person, something that was unfortunately all too rare in Zaun. And the twins too, were cute and adorable little spirits that didn't deserve an iota of the terrible history that haunted them. So he was glad that things were shaping up as they were. The twins would be in good hands with Naruto, and he in turn seemed to care about them and enjoy their company.

"Alright, to celebrate your departure, how about I cook up a special meal?" he announced, pulling on his apron.

"Woohoo!" whooped the other three, enthusiastically showing their approval.

* * *

"Come and visit once in a while, won't you?" said Barnholdt, pulling the twins into a warm hug.

"Of course!" chirped Pell, while his sister smiled beside him, "We'll come keep you company every now and then."

"And you," Barnholdt turned to Naruto, offering his large paw to shake, "Take care of them… and yourself. You know if you ever need anything, you just have to ask, right?"

Naruto gripped the proffered hand and shook it firmly.

"Will do. You're a good man, Barnholdt. We'll drop in whenever we're in the area."

"Haha," laughed the older man gruffly, "Now off with you lot. You've not got a lot of sunlight left in the day, and I've got a working day to prepare for tomorrow."

And so, the departing group started to make their way to the city gates, waving back and smiling as they started their journey. Little did they know, the next time any of the members would once again visit the small restaurant as promised, it would not be a happy meeting, and great tragedy would have befallen each and every one of them.

But that had not yet come to pass, and the three of them left the Zaunite restaurant sector with naught but hope in their hearts and smiles on their faces, looking forward to the future and the fun they sought to have.

They didn't know the terrible things fate had in store for them, and for the moment, they didn't care.

* * *

The trio were now moving through the less populated areas of Zaun, where the dark buildings did not quite blot out the sky or sit crowded around each other as much as the inner city. The road was less wide here, and instead of walking three abreast with Naruto in the middle and a twin to either side, Naruto was now leading the way with the two children trotting at his heels.

"Naruto?" said Pell.

"Mm?"

"Why are you wearing your hood again?"

"Oh, does it bother you? I can take it off you like. It's just a habit, I guess."

"How do you get it to be all dark and shadowy like that?" cut in Nell, "Is it magic?"

"It's chak- oh um… yeah," said Naruto, "I'm just bending the light around my face so people can't see it. It's a neat trick. Lets me get around unrecognised."

"That's so cool!" said Nell.

Naruto grunted affirmation as he turned sideways to allow a man in a similar hooded cloak to his own to sidle through. Nell and Pell followed his example, flattening themselves against his side.

"Thanks," said the stranger gruffly.

"No problem," said Naruto guardedly.

He stared at the man even as he passed the little group and headed towards the city centre.

"What's wrong?" asked Pell.

Naruto glanced down at him and ruffled his hair playfully.

"Nothing much," he said, "Let's go."

Pulling his cloak around himself forcefully, he once again started to walk briskly towards the city gates. The twins, caught off guard a little bit by the sudden departure, gave a little start before taking off in a slight jog to catch up to Naruto's longer strides.

Naruto, seeing them struggling to keep up, allowed the chakra matrix that covered the lower part of his face to drop little, revealing an amused smile as he slowed his pace. The twins looked up at him gratefully, and his smile widened just a bit in response as he turned his attention back to the road. However, neither of the twins noticed the piercing gaze he threw behind him before he fully faced ahead.

If anyone _had _caught the look however, they would have been rather confused, because it was directed at a completely normal section of wall. Or to be precise, a section of wall that _looked _completely normal. Because when Naruto sent that look, the wall rippled, and from what was moments ago just ordinary brick and mortar emerged a dark-cloaked figure- an exact copy of Naruto.

It nodded back to the one walking with the twins in response to the look, before taking off silently in pursuit of the hooded stranger who had passed them before.

* * *

Naruto's clone faded out of the shadows and into shimmering existence on top of one of the small rooftops around the twisting streets. Well, it was _technically _a clone, as its body had been woven from chakra, but comparing him to the shadow clones that Naruto had used prolifically before his sealing was like comparing a butter knife to a katana.

These clones were not so fragile to disperse over a single blow like their predecessors, and didn't form or disappear in a conspicuous cloud of smoke, either. They were made well enough to seem like a completely normal body under even the most expert of medical eyes, but they were woven so well within the chakra circuit- so deeply integrated- that they could manipulate their chakra body at will. They were also connected directly to the user's chakra pool, so they wouldn't run out of chakra unless Naruto did as well, and he could also channel jutsu and fight with them like an extension of his own body.

But just as he was doing now, he could also let them move independently of his will and they would do so like the old shadow clones. The information transfer from the original technique remained, but an improvement was that the new clones could also communicate with the user without dispersing themselves. They really were a masterpiece of chakra engineering and were real poster children of Naruto's research on chakra and his progress with applying it.

_Hmm… I seem to have lost him… _thought the clone, seeing no trace of the hooded stranger, _He's better than I expected._

Despite this setback, the clone didn't seem perturbed in the slightest as it sat back on its haunches for a moment. Closing its eyes, it sat perfectly still until a thick orange pigmentation appeared around its eyes.

Wrinkling its nose, the clone mumbled "The natural energy in this place feels disgusting…" under its breath before refocussing on the task at hand.

Concentrating for a moment, it didn't take long until it found the chakra signature of the hooded man. He seemed to be in a tower somewhere… whistling in admiration, the clone realised that the hooded man had somehow made it halfway across the city in the short time since he had passed the original Naruto and the kids.

_Fast… _nodded the clone.

The Naruto that existed now was no mere human. His senses had always been naturally sharp (perhaps because of the Kyuubi's presence inside of him) and had only been enhanced by years of ninja training and the constant daunting pressure of war. But his centuries of living and breathing in nothing but chakra had granted him something even more.

Before his sealing, he had already unlocked an ability to sense 'hatred' and other negative emotions after wrestling control of the Kyuubi's power away from it. And while he hadn't _lost _the power by any means, he found that using it after being freed into this new world was more trouble than it was worth. This world was so much bigger than the Elemental Nations that he was used to, with a population much, much larger, and more densely packed. Trying to take in and sort through the countless spikes of negative energy, especially in a city like Zaun which was largely lawless outside of the city centre- even without taking into account his enhanced chakra senses- would only serve to give Naruto a headache.

But that didn't mean that he was wandering around completely clueless.

Although he wasn't actively searching for malice, Naruto had refined the ability to passively work in a small radius around him, and instead of only detecting and reacting to malevolent intent, it now served to give him a 'snapshot' of nearby people, revealing a small insight into their nature and background. It wasn't perfect system by any means, and the results were more often than not quite ambiguous.

But when that hooded man passed him, Naruto had felt, quite clearly: 'steel', and 'death'. Putting aside the suspicious code of dress (hooded cloaks actually seemed to be quite common in Zaun, where drawing attention to yourself was most likely going to be a bad thing), the way the man moved was something that drew Naruto's attention. Instincts that he had thought long forgotten had flared to life when he had been in close proximity to the other man. He immediately noticed small things that he couldn't ever remember learning, but had been ingrained in him by a system long forgotten.

The way the tread was measured so that the weight was balanced and spread evenly across the balls of the feet to be ready for combat at any moment. The careful slouch that concealed the posture and hands so that a weapon could be drawn and swung with as little notice as possible. The almost unconscious tensing of the muscles when coming close to another person, staying wary at all times. The positioning of the hands and body- making sure any hidden blades wouldn't clink as he moved.

There was little doubt in Naruto's mind that this man was an assassin. And a good one too. Very professional, that much was for certain.

However, when he added the slightest drop of youki into his coils to confirm the intent, he found that he could only sense the merest hint of negative emotion in the other man. But before he could make sure, he quickly expunged the demonic chakra from inside him. In that short instant, he could already feel the enormous ocean of pain, envy, hatred, sorrow and spite packed into the rat-infested city threatening to overwhelm him. He had trained his body to accept and manipulate almost any amount of chakra imaginable during his sealing, but he wasn't able to train to handle emotions, with none but his own fast-disappearing ones at hand. Trying to grasp the depth of human suffering in this city without preparation might be enough to drive even _him _crazy.

But his small foray into that murky, dangerous world had yielded him answers already.

For an assassin to harbour such apathy, that meant one of two things.

Either he didn't mean to be an assassin and was forced into the profession through necessity or factors beyond his control…

Or…

He was so practised and comfortable with his craft that he had effectively distanced himself from the deed, and could kill so emotionlessly that dealing death had become an action no different from plucking an errant weed.

* * *

While keeping half an eye on the chakra signature of the hooded man using the enhanced abilities granted by sage mode, the clone got up to move. However, there was a sudden surge of movement, and it belatedly realised there was another presence in the room with the assassin.

_He's going for the kill already? _the clone thought in panic.

There wasn't enough time to think. It rapidly gathered chakra, and even destabilised its own arm to power the jutsu it had in mind. Normally it wouldn't need to do such a thing, but as its body was an already-moulded chakra matrix, it was much faster and efficient to utilise the present energy without manually gathering it and shaping it from the core. And its next move wasn't exactly a simple jutsu, after all.

With the remains of its arm swiftly unravelling itself into black strings of blocky particles, the clone waved its remaining hand, ordering the chakra it had gathered to coalesce around it, forming blue ribbons of protective light that shimmered around its body like glass.

Then, in an instant, the unstable arm shuddered in the air before exploding outwards, sending tendrils of black wrapping around the clone. The dark energy spiralled around it, growing and spreading until it covered the area around the clone in a box shape. The inky space glimmered in the weak sunlight, before abruptly shrinking into non-existence, taking the clone with it.

* * *

Talon lurked in the shadows next to the window, watching the target reading some reports behind his desk. Careful not to make a sound, he shifted closer into the room, his dark eyes darting around the space and making sure there wasn't anything he had missed. No traps, no bodyguards. Perfect.

He slowly, ever so slowly, allowed his main blade to retract from where it was hidden in his sleeve, swathed in cloth to prevent it from making any noise. He lifted it to a position where he could thrust it forward, and then carefully lined himself up to point the tip of the razor-sharp weapon at the target's throat.

Then, eyes flashing, Talon lunged forward, his feet propelling him across the space in a heartbeat. In his head, he could already feel his knife plunging into soft, unprepared flesh, could hear the wet gurgling, and was already looking for a way out and calculating how long it would take until someone noticed.

But to his surprise, just before the blade made contact, there was a violent explosion of space between him and the target, and then a ridiculous force threw his arm to the side, skewing his aim. Talon's dagger sank into the wall along with his fist, but he ignored it for the moment, his eyes immediately shifting around the room to try and absorb the situation, to comprehend what had just transpired and to see if the mission was still salvageable, or if he would need to flee, or _fight_.

The source was immediately clear to him.

A dark figure was in the centre of the space, standing on top of the demolished debris of the target's desk. The newcomer was clothed in deep black, and had a strange hood which somehow obscured all of his features, leaving only shadow. He also only had one arm, but the stump of the missing one was oozing some kind of strange black smoke.

The combination of the strange cloak that seemed to absorb the surrounding light and the cowl which showed no face sparked a memory from Talon, and he immediately recalled the same man alongside two blond twins- a boy and a girl.

However, he didn't say anything- as befitting an assassin of his calibre- and instead allowed his eyes to roam a little more.

The target was cowering against the wall, ostensibly after having been shoved there by the newcomer. His fear and surprise quickly told Talon that the other man was not a hired bodyguard or anybody the target knew. The new adversary's hand was outstretched, having deflected Talon's strike away from the target and into the wall.

Talon unobtrusively wriggled the fingers of the hand stuck in the wall, hearing the tell-tale crackling of rubble and drywall shifting. Good, he wasn't stuck. While being careful not to actually remove his hand, he twisted his wrist to dislodge most of the surrounding debris, and slightly widen the hole, ready to withdraw at a moment's notice.

His other hand quickly sought out a few of his throwing knives. If it came to a fight, he would first toss out his projectiles in order to misdirect and distract, before pulling his dominant hand out from the wall, freeing up both offensive power and mobility, and then attack with his main blade. It was one of his standard patterns of attack when he was forced into an actual fight, which usually occurred when his element of surprise had been lost due to detection or after completing his assassination.

His cursory analysis of the enemy didn't reveal much. He was missing an arm, which gave Talon an advantage in a straight-up fight, but that wasn't the end of the story.

The properties of the cloak and hood the newcomer was wearing meant that his opponent was either a skilled mage, or was rich or powerful enough to have the services of one. Judging by the way he had teleported in, the former was more likely.

A skilled mage- there weren't too many of those floating around, especially ones that would stick their necks into something like this. Traditional mages didn't really like Zaun as a rule- too much hextech and techmaturgy in the place… which meant he was here for a reason. The mage was skilled enough to stop him, even for a moment, so it was most likely not some run-of-the-mill self-taught magician.

These two points put together… if it was a mage of this level of skill, it was most likely to be from one of the two main magic-centric city-states, Demacia or Noxus. And if he were here, it probably meant his mission was to interfere with Talon's. Again, this pointed to either Demacia or Noxus being the culprit.

No, actually, this narrowed it down even further. Rather than just limited it to being someone that had been _trained _in Demacia or Noxus, if this mage had been ordered to stop Talon, it meant he was currently_ employed _in their service.

Which meant it was far larger than just a simple grudge. If it was Demacia, then Talon would be obliged to report to the Noxus High Command, who'd probably order a retaliatory strike. If it were Noxus, well, then, it meant that one of the other families were making a move on the Du Couteau, in which case Talon would _personally_ have to investigate and give a _warning_ to the offending group.

But, back to the matter at hand…

Talon allowed the corners of his lips to curl up grimly.

_How arrogant…_

A mage, no matter how skilled, was susceptible to being taken out before they could cast their magic. That was their moment of weakness. And if assassins excelled at anything, it was doing as much damage as possible in a small window. It then stands to show that a mage's worst enemy is an assassin.

And Talon was certain he was the best assassin out there.


	8. Chapter 8

Talon struck in the space between two heartbeats. With one hand he cast a handful of throwing knives as his opponent, while the other ripped itself free from the wall as he sprung forward. He closed the gap in a split second, blade raised to pierce deeply into the masked man's chest.

However, things didn't go as planned.

The man drew a sword from _somewhere, _and in a shining arc of steel, swung it in a crescent sweep that deflected every projectile and still made it in time to clash against his own melee attack, guarding against the powerful strike effortlessly.

Talon's trained eyes noticed it was a curved short sword, its straighter shape suggesting it was one of the Ionian swords (was it called a _tanto?_) rather than a cutlass from Bilgewater or a scimitar from Shurima. The assassin had a healthy respect for those particular swords in particular, and their wielders, too. During the Noxian occupation of Ionia, he had seen skilled users of those blades- and there were _many- _decimate legions of Noxus's finest soldiers. The Ionian sword-masters eschewed the heavy plate armour of the continent, and instead relied on their grace and agility to avoid damage. And in battle, they displayed this to a terrifying degree- like a divine wind, they tore through lines of Noxian men, cutting them down like so many stalks of wheat, their blades flashing silver and leaving strokes of blood in their wake.

Talon had no compunctions against admitting, pound for pound, the Ionian warriors were leagues above even the most elite of Noxian soldiers. However, there-in lay the problem. These were warriors, fighters, but they were not soldiers. They fought by themselves, a single dervish in a sandstorm, rather than the rank-and-file trained military machine of the invading force. They were strong, but against discipline and tactics, they were inevitably overwhelmed. It also takes on average, far longer to become an Ionian warrior, taking many years of hard training, compared to the relatively short time it takes to mould a Noxian grunt. As the war had dragged on, Ionia could not keep up the war effort and continue churning out warriors of the same quality as it was used to, resulting in a distinct drop in its fighting forces towards the end of the whole affair. Factor in the fact that Ionia was much smaller than Noxus in both population and size, and this meant that the Noxian army far out-numbered Ionian fighters on such a scale that it was a wonder to anyone how the Ionians lasted as long as they did.

The Ionians also lacked the brigades of battlemages that Noxus did. They had their own 'mages' in a sense, but these also suffered from a fatal Ionian flaw. These spellcasters were masters of their craft, it's true, with control and power rivalling any mainland wizard, but like Ionia in general, they were solitary in nature. They had no experience in casting generic spells in concert with others like the war mages of the continent, instead spending their lives developing their individual skills and abilities. And so, unlike their Noxian counterparts, trained to unleash their magic as a devastating rain upon masses of clumped enemies, the Ionian mages were not as useful as they otherwise might have been in terms of battlefield impact.

But despite these glaring drawbacks of Ionian military might, Talon knew not to underestimate the warriors of the far east. Sure, their specialisation and focus on personal mastery might have cost them in the historic war, but in peacetime, their sheer unrivalled abilities became much sought-after and well respected.

Need a bodyguard? The Ionian ronin were the best in the business. Hire one and he would be by your side until you ran out of gold to pay his quite expensive retaining fee. Require duel services? Certain monks and samurai would gladly win it for you if you manage to convince them.

And it wasn't just for fighting, either. Ionian people, as a whole, focussed on specialisation and mastery, and it showed in a number of fields. Healers? Ionia was the place to go. Artists? Ionia. Musicians? Ionia again. Talon was even hearing talk of a guild of assassins called 'the Order of Shadows' or something based there, although he was glad (although he'd never admit it) when he heard it had its own agenda and would not work for anyone else. He didn't need competition.

This last point, too, could be attributed to the Ionian spirit. Most of them had a central sense of honour and pride, which prevented them from selling their services to just anyone for money, which only served to heighten their exclusivity and demand. Many of them were so dedicated to their craft that they spent their whole lives furthering their art, living and breathing the essence of their life's work every day for years on end, and passing away at the end without showing anyone or passing on the results of a lifetime's worth of self-improvement. The phrase was '_Ionian _fervour' for a reason.

Talon thought it was crazy, but he couldn't deny the results. Imagine his surprise when he went to assassinate an Ionian noble in his sleep, only to have his target wake in the night and almost decapitate him with a katana propped by the bed. What followed was a desperate struggle that Talon very nearly lost, but he managed to overcome the other man in the end. Despite spending most of his time barking out orders from the back, the noble was quite skilled, and without the element of surprise, Talon was at quite the disadvantage. That was the last time Talon underestimated an Ionian target. From then on, before accepting any hits on Ionians, Talon took special care to scope out the mission beforehand. He didn't care _what _the pay was, he was _not _fighting through a horde of samurai by himself to off someone.

Ionian specialisation also meant that it was notoriously hard to pick up and learn their skills. You can't learn to wield a single edged blade well enough to deflect bullets and slice through plate mail in only a year or two, after all. The point was, if you managed to encounter someone using an Ionian style weapon outside of the island nation, Talon had found, then chances are they knew how to use it, and use it well. They were _dangerous. _

All of this information and reflection ran through Talon's mind as he was flying through the air and right out of the tower window, having been kicked mightily in the chest by his opponent the moment their blades had met.

_God fucking damn it, _he thought as he started to fall to the unforgiving cobblestones of the Zaunite street below.

* * *

Naruto's clone blinked as the hooded man dropped out of sight. He hadn't really expected his kick to connect with his adversary, or for it to be so effective. The hooded man had been fast, it's true, but the clone had a number of advantages.

First of all, even as a clone, he was still overall _faster _than the other man, if only slightly. Second, Naruto was a _shinobi. _He was so used to dealing with flying projectiles and swift sword strikes that he could probably do it in his sleep. Sure, he couldn't quite _remember_ the last time he had to do it, but his body sure did. And finally, it seemed that his opponent was underestimating him. The assassin had seemed almost _surprised _or unprepared when the clone had blocked his attacks, and hadn't anticipated the kick at all.

The clone shrugged.

_Ah well, _it thought, turning away from the window.

"W-who are you?" came a quivering voice from the edge of the room.

The clone threw a glance at the portly man in fancy clothes cowering in the corner of the room.

"The guy who just saved your life," he said, preparing to dispel itself.

Just as he was about to, a flutter of dark cloth at the window caught his attention.

"Hold that thought," the clone said, lifting its arm into a ready stance.

* * *

Talon crouched on the windowsill, his eyes beadily watching the one-armed man standing in the middle of the room. He quickly took note of his assassination target trembling at the back of the room and his lip curled in distaste.

_Too far, _he thought.

He shifted a little, edging into the room. The movement brought an involuntary hiss of pain to his lips as waves of pain broadcasted from his chest. The kick he had taken had cracked or broken a few ribs, he was sure of it.

_Damn, I thought he was a mage, _thought Talon angrily, _Turns out_ _he's a fucking fighter. _

He still wasn't quite sure what to classify his enemy as. The kick was powerful and well executed, and swordsmen don't usually incorporate bare-handed martial arts into their styles. But monks rarely used edged weapons, preferring the blunt counterparts of nunchaku and a variety of staffs. And both of those fighters eschewed magical items like the shifting cloak the man was wearing.

_Huh… _thought Talon, puzzled.

Then the penny dropped.

_Maybe he's one of those ninjas… the Order of Shadows that I've been hearing about!_

Even after many long years in Ionia, Talon never saw hide or hair of the fabled masters of stealth and assassination. He hadn't put much stock of what he had seen as old wives' tales and horror stories to scare children, but now that he was seeing one in action, he had to admit they had some basis in truth.

_I'll have to be careful from here on out, _he thought craftily, his mind working furiously to work around this new variable.

* * *

The clone tensed as the hooded man hopped into the room proper, the cloak shifting aside to reveal a vicious looking blade attached to his forearm.

_He wants to fight, huh… _the clone thought warily.

His chakra coiled around him like a second cloak, ready and waiting to be used at a moment. Seeing the other man suddenly dash forward towards him, the clone brought his tanto back out to block the strike.

The assassin came so close to the clone that he could see the strong jawline and cold, dark eyes peering at him from beneath the hood, before suddenly, the hooded man disappeared in a whirl of fabric and metal.

The clone cast around him in confusion for a moment, only noticing the swarm of deadly knives flying towards him just as they were about to skewer him. Upon disappearing, the assassin had thrown out a volley of blades in all directions!

_Fuck! _thought the clone.

With a swift application of wind chakra, all the air in the room was forcibly stilled, the knives frozen as they spun through the space. The clone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, until he noticed a disturbance in the stilled air. He couldn't see anything there … but the air was still being pushed as something, or _someone, _moved through it.

The clone saw that it was moving straight for the fancily-dressed man in the corner, and gave the briefest exhale of irritation.

_Persistent fellow, isn't he? _he thought.

But the clone was running out of options. He might be faster than the assassin, but he was also on the other side of the room, and he wouldn't be able to catch up with the hooded man if he had _that _much of a head-start.

Grimacing as he prepared himself for his only option, the clone started to mould his chakra.

* * *

Talon noticed with a laboured breath that the air had suddenly gotten difficult to breathe and move through. It felt as if it were pressing against him, as if he were walking through a stiff wind. However, he ploughed through, rushing towards his hapless target.

He entered melee range of his target in a matter of seconds, his arm drawing back in a practised stab, when he noticed a dull gleam near his head. He didn't quite manage to process the sight before a violent explosion of space occurred between him and his target, blowing him back forcefully, knocking him out of the stealth of his Shadow Assault and sending him tumbling back into the centre of the room.

Talon scowled. He now realised what the gleam had been- it had been one of his knives, held motionless in the air by some kind of magic.

_He _is_ a mage! _he thought angrily, _What the fuck?_

He recalled the knives back into his cloak and stood up, glaring at the frustrating opponent in front of him, standing nonchalantly in front of his target. That teleportation was annoying- it seemed instantaneous, and upon arrival knocked whoever was standing close up away.

"Goddamn it," Talon heard the man say, the first words spoken by either of them to the other, "I had to sacrifice my eye for that."

Talon looked closer, and sure enough, a trail of black smoke wafted casually from underneath the shadowed hood, much like the one that had drifted from the man's stump upon arrival.

_What does that mean? _wondered Talon.

He glared at his adversary, who seemed almost unbeatable at the moment. He could fight barehanded, use weaponry, AND magic? Talon had severely underestimated this enemy, and had already wasted the greatest strength of an assassin- stealth and surprise.

Talon sighed and reluctantly contemplated a course of action he had not undertaken for many years- abandonment of the mission and retreating.

* * *

The clone gently waved his fingers over the gaping hole where his right eye used to be, a slight blue glow belying the chakra lacing his fingertips. The energy soothed the wound, permeating the chakra matrix that his flesh consisted off and gradually stopping the smoke from emitting.

As one of the new and improved clones that Naruto had developed, he didn't pop upon taking damage like the old ones, nor did he bleed like a human. Instead, if his chakra matrix was ruptured, it would steadily destabilise unless chakra was rewoven to repair the damaged area, just like he had done just now. If not, the chakra that made him up would continue to leak out into the atmosphere, sourcing itself from nearby parts of the matrix once the current ones had expired. In other words, if the wound wasn't patched up, the clone's body would consume itself to continue 'bleeding' out chakra- this was the black smoke that poured from the clone's body whenever he sacrificed part of his own chakra matrix to power his teleportation jutsu.

The clone grimaced. Having one eye sucked. I mean, he could simulate sight using chakra, but that was basically like echolocation, and not really a true representation of his surroundings. He could also recreate his eye if he had the time, but a delicate procedure like that could definitely not be done in a high-tension situation like this.

But weighing the options, sacrificing an eye was one of the better choices. Taking away one more of his remaining limbs, or even part of one, would affect his fighting ability too much. And in theory shaving off some of his hair might seem ideal, but in practice it wasn't. For a clone like him, each strand of hair was a separate chakra construct. Severing many of those only created a sea of leaking chakra rifts that would probably 'bleed' him out before he could patch them all up. And taking internal organs and chunks of flesh was also advised against, as it was rather difficult- although not impossible- to reweave the matrix when he couldn't see what he was doing.

"Yeah! Go get him! Show him who's boss! Show him I'm not to be messed with!"

The clone looked down at who had spoken with his one good eye. It was the assassination target, who had evidently gotten over his terror and was now glaring at his would-be killer with hatred and rage in his eyes.

"Why would I do that?" asked the clone, amused.

The man looked at him in surprise, and in his peripheral vision, the clone noticed the assassin do the same.

"W-what?" spluttered the target.

"I was just preventing an assassination under my nose on a whim- I have no obligations to do any more. I have no grievances against your assassin, and I have no real moral compunctions against assassination in general."

"Then why did you stop me?" asked the hooded man curiously.

"Well, I didn't know if the assassination was justified. I'd rather not let an innocent man die under my watch if I can help it. But sometimes, for the good of us all, some people must be put to the knife. I have no arguments against that."

The assassin spat derisively onto the expensively carpeted floor.

"Trust me, that man you just protected is far from innocent. You would be hard-pressed to find someone further from innocent, in fact," he said bitterly.

Naruto's clone turned to fix the target with a penetrating stare with his one good eye.

"Then I'll kill him myself," he said simply.

To the civilian man, having that spectre wrapped in a cloak of shadows turn to affix him with its terrifyingly inhuman gaze but seeing nothing but inky darkness under that mysterious hood was the single most frightening thing he had ever seen. He almost soiled his pants on the spot.

"L-look! Don't listen to him!" he cried out, voice high-pitched due to desperate terror, "He's trying to turn you against me! I have money! I have power! What do you want? I'll give you anything! Women? The finest Zaun's brothels have to offer! Slaves? I can get you a whole roomful! More money than you can spend! A job! A position in Zaun's High Council! A fast lane to Zaunite aristocracy! Anything you want!"

Naruto's clone started to walk unhurriedly towards the man, who in turn scuttled backwards away from him. Despite this, the clone menacingly, inexorably, at that same slow pace, corralled him efficiently into the corner of the room, where he could back away no further.

"Y-you can't believe that man! He wants me dead! I swear to the gods above that I am a good man!"

The clone had started to extend a gloved hand towards the cowering man, but upon hearing this desperate plea, paused for a moment.

"Y-yes!" said the man, emboldened by this response, "The gods know that I am a pious and law-abiding man! They favour me! I make offerings every moon, they know I worship them!"

The clone let an unseen smile ghost across his mouth.

"I know not your gods," he announced with an air of finality, "I have my own ways of divining the truth."

He let his hand continue forwards, until he was able the grasp the sweating civilian's forehead.

"Now, let's see who you _really _are," he said, allowing his emotion-sensing ability to run its course.

Immediately, he felt a wave of overpowering _vileness _roll over him, almost making him gag with its putrid stench. He recoiled, his hand releasing the other man's forehead as if burnt. The images that had slipped through him mind- the fresh corpses, the wretched women, the goddamn abused _children, _it was almost too much to bear for someone who had been separated from such atrocity for millennia on end. The clone hissed in outrage as with more and more of the negative energy being sensed, the fox's youki that he had long since tamed reawakening at the taste of such tempting malice, excited by the sheer evil exuded from this man. The bloated self-importance, the callous disregard for human life, the sheer corrupted blackness that permeated every fibre of his being- this man was like a shining beacon of dark emotions.

The clone slammed the youki under control, shutting off his sensing abilities with a decisive snap. He had seen enough.

"You…" he said, rage filling his voice, "How can you say you are a good man? How can you possibly say that the gods look upon what you have done with anything even resembling favour? You are disgusting!"

The civilian man stared at him, crazed delusion starting to shine through his eyes as the crushing realisation that his act had been seen through started to dawn on him. His last hope had been extinguished.

"The gods cannot judge me!" he squealed fanatically, "I am rich! I am power! The ones with power can do what they want! That's why it's called power! I am…"

"You are dead."

The words rang with a terrible weight, the absolute certainty of death riding on every syllable.

The clone raised his hand and suddenly the man screamed out in horrible agony for a split second, before the air around his mouth stilled itself, not letting a single sound past, even as the man continued to scream his throat hoarse.

"_Suffer," _the clone said cruelly.

And his victim _was _suffering, that much was certain. Twisted miasma was leaking from his pores and his skin was steaming and bright red. There was no external source to be seen- that is because the blistering heat came from within. _His blood was being boiled from inside him_. Bubbling red liquid was leaking from his eyes, his nose, his mouth. His fingers scrabbled helplessly at his own flesh, scratching and ripping it apart, but ultimately achieving _nothing. _His eyes, red from burst blood vessels, bulged grotesquely amidst the blood, pleading, begging for reprieve as they shone with pure, unadulterated madness, born from indescribable pain. Here was a man who wished for nothing but death.

The clone saw this, but merely smiled mirthlessly, his remaining eye as cold and unfeeling as a block of ice. He made no move to cease the terrible work his chakra was doing, his raised fist still holding steady in the air.

The struggling man, seeing this and realising with a rare shard of clarity even as his mind screamed crazy thoughts, that there would be no mercy from this inhuman _monster, _turned his desperate gaze elsewhere.

* * *

Talon looked on in shock as the meaning of that gaze hit him.

_Kill me, _it said, _Take me away from this hell._

Talon's face was expressionless as he watched for his target writhing in pain. He had been stunned when the hooded man had started doing such a thing. He had never imagined that his opponent would be capable of such a powerful magic, and requiring almost no casting ritual or preparation. It was horrible to watch, even to Talon's desensitised eyes. He briefly entertained the thought of what it would feel like to be the one in that situation, and shivered in spite of himself.

He was no stranger to these things. He had seen many atrocities during the Noxian-Ionian conflict, he had seen people from both sides dying in horrific ways, he had seen slaughtered babies and tortured men, but he had never encountered something as prolonged and deliberately _cruel _as this one.

He preferred all his kills to be swift and painless, an efficient gift of death. This slow and torturous execution left a bad taste in his mouth. In any other scenario he would have simply ended the target's suffering. That was his mercy.

_However_…

Talon was now able to easily admit that the cloaked man was stronger than him. An assassin without stealth or surprise had no defence against that kind of magic now that his usual advantage of speed had been nullified. Talon _definitely _did not want to get on the bad side of the cloaked man, as it could very easily be _him _thrashing in pain next.

He gritted his teeth and continued to watch, his expression as stoic as a slab of stone. His eyes met his target's and held that dying gaze unflinchingly. Talon could feel something unpleasant crawling over his skin, a scattering of gooseflesh rising as he saw raw human emotions brought to light that no one should ever have to witness, let alone experience.

The tormented body jerked to and fro, blood splattering from lips mutilated from the vicious teeth that they themselves held. Small bubbles of liquid popped under the wretched man's nostrils, a mixture of lifeblood and mucus. The mouth was still screaming bloody murder, the throat working furiously to provide the air, but no sound could escape, the air freezing the soundwaves even as they left the source.

Watching this all, Talon made a reluctant decision.

He slowly pulled free one of his blades from underneath his cloak, and in one practised motion, threw it in a practised underarm motion, sending it spinning end over end until it slammed home with a dull _thud_ into his target's forehead.

Immediately, the corpse slumped down to the ground, the shining silver knife protruding from his head like a grotesque horn.

"…Why did you do that?" asked the hooded man suddenly, turning towards Talon.

Talon couldn't help the feeling of dread beginning to rise up from his stomach. He had a strong feeling he had just made an enormous mistake.

"I was ordered to assassinate that man. I did just that," he said, steeling his nerves and speaking out without even the trace of a tremor in his voice.

There was a silence as the hooded man continued to just stare at Talon. The assassin slowly freed a knife from his cloak, easing it into his palm as discreetly as possible. Shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet, he was ready to fly into action at the slightest provocation. He might not be able to win a fight, but hell if he were going to go down without a struggle.

And when the hooded man suddenly raised an arm, Talon almost burst into motion. It was only until his sharp eyes caught the glint of light off his own knife that he stopped himself from hurling himself at his enemy in a storm of blades.

"Here," said the other man, holding out the knife that had only moments ago been buried in the dead man's head. Talon hadn't even noticed him pull it out!

Cautiously, Talon accepted the blade by the handle, noticing that the metal was pristinely clean and unmarked by the blood that should have been covering it.

"Thanks," he said grudgingly, sliding it back into his cloak.

"Well, then, Mr. Assassin," said the hooded man, "I best be off now. If we cross paths in the future, hopefully it be in better terms."

He turned to leave, when Talon quickly held out a hand to stop him.

"Wait!"

To his surprise, the man stopped.

"What?"

"What's your name?"

"…Naruto."

_An _Ionian_ name, _thought Talon, his hypothesis holding strong that the man standing before him, '_Naruto', _was part of the Ionian assassination group, the Order of Shadows.

"My name is Talon. I am an assassin attached to the House of Du Couteau in Noxus. You are obviously a very skilled individual, and your abilities could be very beneficial to our cause. Would you perhaps like to work with us? We could pay you handsomely."

"I do not work for money," was the curt reply.

Talon nodded. He had expected as much, having heard the reputation of the Order of Shadows having their own agenda.

"Very well," he said, "But if you are ever in Noxus, pay the House of Du Couteau a visit. Perhaps at that time, we can make you a better offer. Payment doesn't need to be in gold, after all."

He pulled from his pocket a small square of fabric that had proudly displayed the Du Couteau's crest of crossed blades and passed it to the clone, who accepted it wordlessly.

"Ask any Noxian- they'll be able to direct you to the grounds of the Du Couteau. Show that crest at the gate and you'll be let in. Tell them you are to see me… or if I am unavailable, ask for Katarina or Cassiopeia. They'll know what you're there for," explained Talon.

"Very well," said the clone, folding the small cloth in half.

Talon wasn't aware, but the clone was slightly annoyed as he could no longer simply dispel, as he needed to get the little embossed cloth to the original. But he was good at hiding the faint irritation, and Talon couldn't see anything under the chakra-woven hood anyway.

"If we meet again," the clone said neutrally.

"If we meet again," echoed Talon dutifully.

Truth be told, he was quite happy with the way things had turned out. Sure, he had been injured and come up against an existence much stronger than him, but he was still alive, and had potentially gained a valuable ally to the Du Couteau. Sure, it might not be the best outcome, but any day where you expect to die and pull through alive was a good day in his book. Talon was somewhat of an optimist, you see.

The clone gave a single brief wave, before tossing the cloth that Talon had given him in the air. Even as it flapped in the air, the clone's body deconstructed itself in a mess of elongate black beams, the dark energy scattering through the room like so many streamers. They arced off in different directions for only moments before all the black chakra folded itself around the now-falling cloth, every speck of the energy shooting back to wrap itself around it, obscuring its shape and forming a solid-looking black cube.

The cube struck the ground, and promptly winked out of existence, leaving no evidence of the cloth or the hooded man.

Talon watched all of this, bemused, before he made his way back to the window in order to make his own- suddenly mundane- departure.

He had a lot to report to the Du Couteau sisters.

* * *

Naruto sat down on a mossy log while Nell and Pell flopped bonelessly on the grass, panting like dogs. As small and malnourished as they were, they weren't in the best of shape, and even a relatively short walk left them quite winded. However, they were young and determined not to be a burden to Naruto, so they were quick to recover and be on their way.

Naruto, amused by this, and being in no hurry at all, took great pains to schedule regular breaks whenever he noticed the twins were tiring. He made sure to make excuses every time too, complaining that his feet hurt, or that the plants in the area were interesting, or that he was hungry. The kids were grateful for this, though they were sharp enough to realise that he was doing it for their sake. They said nothing and accepted the excuses with good-natured humour, but in their hearts, it only endeared the blond man all the more to them.

"Have some water!" said Naruto, handing out two canteens to the kids, which they accepted gratefully.

They drank deeply from the clear, slightly sweet spring water, their desperate gulps slowing as they drank their fill. Naruto smiled happily at them from his log- it was a sight to warm any frozen heart.

"Huh," he said out loud, as a black cube of chakra materialised in the air.

He lifted a black-gloved hand, and the cube unravelled into numerous black strings that continued to thin out into nothingness, allowing the cargo that had been enclosed inside to fall limply onto the upturned palm. The white cloth sat starkly against black leather, the wicked silver knives of the Du Couteau embossed proudly on its face.

The memories of the dispelled clone suddenly hit Naruto, and a dark expression flew across his face like sweeping storm clouds across the sea. He clenched the cloth in a fist and sealed it away into the wind with a violent gesture, his face still set into a furious scowl.

"What was that?" asked Nell excitedly, having seen the dark light forming and delivering its contents, but not yet noticing the positively murderous look on her guardian's face.

Naruto immediately schooled his features into a happier expression. It wasn't that hard. All he had to do was look at his wards' bonny faces and his spirits lifted like they were attached to balloons.

"Oh, nothing," he said, although his eyes still retained the hint of an icy sheen and a dark shadow.

* * *

Author's note: I accidentally left my rough chapter guide here in my first submission of this chapter. Sorry if you saw that, haha.


	9. Chapter 9

Naruto popped out from behind a rock, showing himself to the two small figures standing in a gently flowing river.

"Guys, dinner's ready," he said brightly.

Nell squealed loudly and immediately covered her body, sinking into the river water to hide herself. Her brother just turned around, uncaring of his nakedness.

"Oh that's good, we'll be right out," he said.

Naruto looked at them sceptically.

"Are you guys washing properly?" he said, "Lemme give you a hand."

Immediately the river water welled up around the twins, rising up into the air and sluicing around them in a firm current. To their wonderment, the water was _warm, _and the little particles of dirt and leaves that were usually suspended in the river was physically drawn out of the liquid before it touched their bodies.

"Wow, that's amazing!" said Nell, her embarrassment forgotten.

She giggled as a small bubble of water welled up to engulf her hair, the fair strands fanning out in the crystal clear fluid.

"Okay, that should be enough," said Naruto, and Nell sighed a little in reluctance as the warm water slowly left her body and returned to the river.

"I'll dry you guys out," said Naruto, "It's the seasons for colds, so can't have you two getting sick on me, can I?"

The twins stepped out of the river, and Naruto waved a hand over either of them, his chakra enveloping them and leaving them warm and dry. They sighed in contentment. Being dried in such a luxurious manner was always a pleasure. It always left them feeling happy and pampered, like being wrapped in a big, fluffy towel and sitting in front of a roaring fireplace.

"C'mon, get dressed and let's eat," urged Naruto, "I'm hungry!"

The twins immediately snapped out of their comfort-induced dazed, and hurried to get their clothes on. They hadn't noticed how hungry they were until Naruto noticed it, but they were absolutely ravenous.

* * *

"How is it?" asked Naruto.

The three of them were sitting on logs around a merry fire, a big cast-iron pot hanging on a stand above it, the remains of a stew still simmering inside. On each of their knees was a bowl filled with the steaming stew. It was a sumptuous and rich broth, with thick chunks of delicious, tender beef and soft cubes of potato and carrot, seasoned with a selection of herbs and a generous helping of pepper. It was accompanied by a slab of sturdy, rustic bread, perfect for dipping into the stew and mopping up the last dregs at the bottom of the bowl.

The twins looked down at the irresistible meal in front of them, mouths watering at the sight and the smell alone. And indeed, the smell was simply divine. It was so rich and hearty that it really did seem like a dream. It wasn't too long ago that the two of them were digging through the trash to scavenge mouldy crusts and discarded bones, after all.

"Naruto," Pell said, his voice heavy with emotion, "You're the best."

"Yeah," said Nell, tearing up, "The best."

Naruto harrumphed, looking away.

"Just eat," he said gruffly, "You guys deserve it."

It had already been about a week since they had left Zaun. They moved at a slow pace, even considering they were on foot and there were two malnourished and thin children in the party, but Naruto didn't mind. The two children proved to be excellent company, and he enjoyed chattering to them about various things and teaching them a little something here and there about the world around them.

He watched Pell diving into his food with gusto, and Nell savouring each bite at a slower pace but no loss of passion, and suddenly felt an upwelling of love and pride for the twins. They were such lovely, bright souls… it really was a damn shame that life had thrust them into such a shitty situation.

Naruto made a resolution then and there, watching the two skinny kids wolf down the simple meal as if it were ambrosia from above.

_I'm gonna help them the best I can, _he swore, _whatever dreams they may have, I'll do my damned best to take them there to grasp those dreams with their own hands. I swear it. I swear it on my name, I swear it on the name of the shinobi people, I swear it on everything I am._

As if recognising his pledge, his chakra surged through his coils, rising up like a roaring tornado. And in response to this energy, a brief wind whirled around him, tossing his hair to and fro while the campfire swelled up and spat out a small flickering tongue of flame which floated gently into Naruto's outstretched palm.

He watched the bright dancing flame sitting innocuously on his palm. The flame did not have any visible fuel and wasn't burning his palm, but the heat it gave off was as real as they came. Naruto closed his fist around the light, extinguishing it suddenly.

_I swear it by the Will of Fire._

A sudden clapping caught his attention, causing him to look up in surprise. Nell and Pell applauded, Nell much more enthusiastically than her brother.

"Magic!' squealed Nell happily, "It's so awesome! I wish I could do that sooooo bad!"

Pell snorted at this.

"I dunno why you always wanna be a magician," he said derisively, "Being a swordsman is so much cooler."

"That's because you're a stupid oaf," said Nell harshly.

"And you're a puny weakling," snapped back Pell, "Hiding behind barriers and enchantments, ha!"

"Hey! Those things require strategy and skill, unlike sitting in a tin can and waving around a big stick!"

"Yeah, well, the big stick would whoop your ass!"

"_If_ you ever got close, idiot. No self-respecting mage would let some silly swordsman get close enough to swing his stupid sword at them."

Naruto chuckled as he listened to the twins bicker on. They had had this same argument a number of times before, and from the looks of it, it was something that extended back way further than when he had met them.

"How old are you guys?" he asked, upon seeing that the argument had devolved into heated glaring.

"Ten," said Pell shortly, "Both of us are."

Naruto blinked.

They didn't look like they could be any older than eight! Their small, skinny frames that they owed to many years of malnourishment made them seem younger than they were, it seems.

_Ten, huh._

* * *

Naruto stopped and looked back at the small settlement they had just left. They had spent about a week there, renting out a room in the inn and simply resting from two weeks of continuous travel. Such a small village didn't have much to see, so apart from buying supplies and getting to know the villagers a bit, the three of them decided to leave after not too long.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" asked Nell, curiously.

"What was the name of that village?" Naruto asked.

"Erm… Montspien? I think."

Naruto squinted at the map that Barnholdt had given them back in Zaun.

"Huh. Well, damn."

"What's wrong?"

"Jesus, this land is big," he said.

"Where are we going, Naruto?" asked Pell curiously.

"Erm… I'm gonna take you guys to Demacia."

"Demacia?" echoed the twins.

"Demacia doesn't really like Zaunites like us," Nell said forlornly.

"Who can tell you guys are from Zaun, though?" asked Naruto, "No-one needs to know."

"Why Demacia, though?" asked Pell, "Demacians are such pompous assholes."

"That may be true, but according to Montspien's village elder back there, it's the best place to learn certain skills."

"Skills?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna enrol you two into the Magic Academy and the Knight Academy in Demacia, respectively."

The twins' mouths fell open as they stared at their guardian in speechless shock. The Demacian Academies were the most prestigious in the land, and even in Zaun, where Demacia was not looked upon with much favour, their names still held considerable weight. To the twins, just seeing the posters and hearing stories of the grand Academy buildings with their soaring battlements, colourful cacophony of proud flags, and bright young souls decked out in shining uniforms walking its proud halls was enough to instil a sense of wonder and awe.

"Y-you m-mean it?" spluttered Pell, hardly believing his ears.

"Of course," said Naruto confidently.

Nell couldn't take it any longer and broke into a run, throwing herself at Naruto and burying her face into his chest, saying "Thank you, thank you," repeatedly through a face-full of joyful tears. Naruto smiled and wrapped his arms around her gently.

Pell lost the strength in his legs, and collapsed onto the ground, his eyes still wide from the world-shaking revelation.

"The Knight Academy," he breathed, "I'll get to wear armour… I'll get to swing a sword..."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but we've got to get to Demacia first," said Naruto, the smile still on his face, "And that's all the way across the continent. It'll take us at least a year to get there… two if we move at the rate we're going."

"Let's go!" said Pell, springing up onto his feet, "There's not a moment to lose!"

Nell separated from Naruto too, looking equally as determined as her brother.

"Haha, calm down," said Naruto, "Two years is a generous estimate, even taking into account staying at villages and cities along the way, and Academy registrations start at twelve anyway. Even if we got to Demacia early, we'd have to wait for enrolments anyway. We can take our time."

"Awww…" said Pell disappointedly.

"And besides, we have to get you two up to par in these two years. All the other students will have come from preparatory schools or private tuition, and will have a lot of background knowledge and skills. You don't want to lose to them or fall behind, do you?"

Nell and Pell shook their heads slowly.

"Good. Do you two know how to do sums?"

They continued to shake their heads.

"Erm, that's okay… how about essay writing?"

Shake. Shake.

"Haaa… tell me you guys know how to read, at least?"

No go.

"Wahhh… looks like we've got a long road ahead of us."

"Why would we even need that stuff?" asked Pell, "I just want to learn how to fight real good."

"You don't know much about the Academies, do you?" asked Naruto, "They don't just teach you how to swing a sword or shoot a fireball. They teach etiquette, diplomacy, literature, arithmetic, and a host of other skills along with combat. They're to mould you into fine, upstanding exemplars of the Demacian values- of freedom and justice. It wouldn't do for the shining pillars of Demacia's might to be unread oafs and clumsy barbarians now, would it? If you just want to fight for Demacia you can join any of the Army camps they have around- but if you want to be a hero… a true paragon of the Demacian way, someone who all the masses look up to, _then _you join the Academy."

"Wow… you know a lot," said Nell.

"The village elder was very forthcoming with information," replied Naruto, shrugging.

"Yeah!" shouted Pell, pumping a fist into the air, "I wanna be one of those! A hero! Saving all the weak and powerless!"

"Then you better put your head down and study," said Naruto slyly, ruffling the boy's sandy hair.

The boy deflated slightly, but he still nodded, eyes still shining with a passionate fire.

"And what about you?" asked Naruto, directing the question at the female twin, "Do you want to become a hero… a heroine? Wearing the robes of the Spell Corps, weaving countless intricate magicks for the benefit of the good? Do you wish to devote yourself to the study of the arcane in the hallowed halls of the Magic Academy?"

Nell looked at him, looked into his bright blue eyes brimming with life and energy, and for a fleeting moment, felt her normally shy demeanour crack and fall away. There was _something _about those eyes that empowered her, that made her feel _strong. _They made her feel like the world was at her fingertips, that she could realise her dreams and drag herself to them to grasp them with her own two hands. She straightened her back, met his eyes with quiet confidence, and simply nodded.

"Good girl," said Naruto proudly, and Nell swelled up in happiness.

* * *

Naruto snapped his fingers, letting loose a tongue of fire that jumped from his fingertips to the waiting pile of firewood, instantly igniting it. A flick of his wrist, and a gentle wind came to life and nurtured the young flame until it grew into a merrily crackling campfire of respectable size.

"That's a neat trick," complimented an older man with dark hair as he sat down next to Naruto, "You're a mage?"

"I just know some tricks," shrugged Naruto.

About two months into their journey, the trio had reached White Coast Bay, which was the first real natural landmark from Piltover and Zaun, coinciding with the twins' first experience with seeing an ocean view not ruined by hulking dockside industry and strangely coloured and diseased seawater. After a day of simply admiring the view on a cliff overlooking the bay, the three travellers moved inland again to settle down and make camp for the night.

It was at this point that they had met an older couple on the road, a friendly pair that asked to partake of their company for the night- a request that Naruto and the children were happy to oblige. These were not the first strangers that the trio had come across in their brief travels, but they were the first that had spent any significant length of time with them. The others had either gone on ahead due to a difference in pace or moved past as they were headed in the opposite direction.

"What's your trade, boy? What do you do?" asked the man, stroking his goatee and moustache while his dark eyes scrutinised Naruto, "Surely with such a talent with magic you're working in the field somewhere?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Currently unemployed," he said.

"Oh?" piped up the man's wife, a somewhat attractive woman whose own dark hair was tied into a simple loop and pinned up as such, "But how do you manage to survive? Especially with two young children such as these? By the way, you seem quite young to be a father…?"

Naruto shrugged.

"I'm not their real dad," he said, "I'm just looking after them. And I have some money tucked away that allows us to get by."

"Whoa? That seems like a heavy responsibility for such a young man! That's so admirable for you to take care of them at such a young age. Young men like you should be going out and having fun, partying, drinking, dancing, and fooling around with girls! Don't you ever wish you could be doing that? Do you ever feel wish you could be rid of them to just… _be _yourself?" asked the woman gently.

"No," said Naruto firmly, "I enjoy looking after them, they're real treasures. I wouldn't trade them for the world- they're a pleasure to take care of and have around."

The woman sat back, seemingly satisfied with the answer. In her place, the man took his turn to make conversation.

"They're a fine pair," he said, nodding to the twins playing on the other side of the fire, "How old are they?"

"Ten," said Naruto, letting his own gaze settle on his wards.

"Ten? I see," repeated the man, a little surprised, "Quite small for tenners. You been feeding them alright?"

Naruto nodded.

"They only came into my care lately," he explained, "They were extremely malnourished and thin when I first met them."

"Ah, that explains it," nodded the man, "But aye, they are fine. Good-looking they are, and they'll only get better with age. The girl'll be a beauty, and the boy a handsome young fella. I can see it right now. Trust me, I know kids."

Naruto let his eyes wander over his charges, trying to see them in a new light.

When he had met them he had thought they had been brown-haired, but that was a result of many layers of dirt and grime encasing their heads. Now their fair hair was bared for all to see, a pleasant sandy blond that framed their faces well. Nell's fell to about shoulder length, and she kept it out of her face with a decorative flowery hairpin that Naruto had bought for her from the Montspien marketplace. Pell's had been a messy mop of comparable length but, Naruto had given it a cut and it was now short, showing off his strong, open features.

Identical hazel eyes crinkled with laughter over some joke that was inaudible to the adults across the fire, and their lips parted in wide, mirthful smiles. They had somehow kept their teeth in good condition, and their skin was, after a month, returning to a bright clean appearance.

The stranger was right. The twins had been blessed with good genetics and would most likely grow to be very attractive adults. Pell was already beginning to outstrip his sister in terms of development, and if he continued on that path, a large, powerful build coupled with his firm, powerful features would give him a handsome appearance that would be completely different to the delicate dreaminess of Sasuke and Neji but wouldn't lose in intensity. Nell's face and body were slimmer than her brother's, but had the same strong cast to them. Large eyes and a small, delicate mouth would most likely steal quite the few hearts as she grew up, there was no doubt about it.

But, for now, they were just kids who still had a lot of growing to do and needed to be taken care of.

"So what do _you_ do?" Naruto asked the man, deliberately changing the subject.

"Oh me and the missus drag that ole' thing around from city to city," said the man, nodding to the enormous rectangular wagon that was sitting a fair way away.

It looked very sturdy and was made out of bolted and reinforced steel, the huge wheels coming up to a grown man's chest. The massive fur-covered beast that pulled it was curled up in a veritable mountain of shaggy hair as it slept, its gargantuan chest rumbling and heaving as it snored.

Naruto looked at it curiously.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We transport and sell wild beasts," said the woman, "Some will be sold off to collectors or circuses, some of the more common ones will be slaughtered for pelts and meat and such. We don't know what will happen to them after they are sold, though, so we have to transport them live. So please don't be alarmed if you hear banging or shouting from the wagon. These beasts are quite savage, you know, but the wagon is the top-of-the-line in terms of security and protection, so don't you worry. It's reinforced steel and wood, and there are magical arrays layered over the whole thing. Rest assured, nothing gets out or gets in without our say so."

Naruto looked at the wagon, and as if on cue, a muffled banging started to ring out from the side of the huge carriage.

"Ahaha," laughed the man nervously, "As if to illustrate my point."

"Go take care of that," ordered his wife, "It's going to scare the kids."

"Alright, alright," grumbled the man, getting up with a laboured sigh, "Must be the new one we just picked up. Imma let that blasted thing have it tonight. I thought I taught it an adequate lesson yesterday, but apparently I was too soft."

He trotted off towards the wagon, cursing under his breath.

"Naruto, Naruto!" called Pell, running up and putting a hand on his knee, Nell right behind him.

"Hey, what's up?" asked Naruto with a smile.

"Look what we found!"

Pell held out a small rock, which Naruto took gently and looked over.

"Look at the pretty colours!" chirped Nell, pointing at a section of the rock where the rough brown gave way to brilliant veins of green and blue upon a vitreous black background.

Naruto smiled at their infectious excitement.

"Yes, you've found something special alright. But it looks like… there's more underneath."

Holding the rock in one hand, his held out his other hand above it as if ready to cast a spell.

"Wara Tazaam!" he said theatrically, coming up with some nonsense syllables on the spot.

Exerting his control over earth chakra, he coaxed the crumbly brown rock to ease itself off the black glassy one. It slid away like stains wiped off a tile, revealing the magnificent shining obsidian underneath, finally undiminished by its plain rocky prison. Then, with a second wave of his hand, the rock split into two curved teardrop-shaped halves, each one a reverse mirror of the other.

"Whoaaaa," breathed the twins in unison, and even the female beast merchant raised in eyebrow in impressed surprise.

Naruto wasn't done yet, though.

He reached out again, this time to the ground. The long grasses at his feet rustled in an unseen wind before a number of blades detached themselves from the earth and entwined themselves around each other, tightly braiding themselves into a thin cord.

With the slightest application of fire-natured chakra, the green rope instantly dried out, becoming a tough, straw-coloured string. Naruto sliced it in two with a tiny blade of wind, and then fed a thong into a tiny, almost invisible hole in each of the two halves of shiny black rock.

"Here you go," he said, handing each of the twins one of the necklaces.

Nell's eyes lit up.

"Oh thanks!" she said gleefully, putting the pretty rock around her neck without hesitation.

Pell was less enthusiastic about the gift. He liked the rock- black was an awesome colour, and the vivid colours veining it was cool too, but…

"Necklaces are for girls, aren't they?" he said, a little sullenly.

"This one isn't," said Naruto with a smile, "It's special- hold it in your hands, how does it feel?"

Pell, wrapped his fingers around it, a questioning look on his face.

"It's warm!" he said with a shocked expression.

Beside him, Nell's hand flew to her chest as she, too, realised this fact.

"Yeah, I put some magic into those necklaces," said Naruto, "Both of them. They're connected in such a way that they'll heat up if you guys are apart from each other. I'm doing it manually for you now, but that's how they work. You have a special bond- the bond of family- and I wanted you to remember that even if you're are separated; you'll always have the other in your heart. Remember that if you feel that warmth on your chest, your precious ones will also feel that same warmth, wherever they are in the world. You will _always _be connected."

Pell looked at the necklace in wonder. The rock shining in the firelight looked pretty, for sure, but he had never imagined that it would have a special function like that. He felt the warmth slowly ebb from the stone in his hands until it felt once again like no more than an ordinary stone.

"Go on," Naruto said gently, "Why don't you go and try it out for yourselves?"

Watching the twins wordlessly scampering off towards the woods, Naruto's female companion nodded in admiration.

"I didn't know you could do magic like that on the fly," she said with a calculating look at him, "What else can you do? Any battle magic?"

Naruto shrugged.

"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing. It's quite easy to infuse some minor fire magic into it that activates when a certain distance is breached- the rock is volcanic in origin anyway, so it has some natural synergy with fire anyway."

The woman blinked as she tried to comprehend what was being said, but her gaze remained sharp.

"Uh… I see. So do you know any offensive spells? Fireball, Flame Lance, anything like that?"

"Eh… no, I don't know any spells," said Naruto truthfully.

"Oh, that's a shame, then, you never know when these things can come in handy. Especially when you have a couple of little ones to look after," said the lady with a meaningful nod towards the woods, "This far from any major city means there are usually bandits and brigands and all sorts of unsavoury folk about."

Naruto waved a hand dismissively.

"Oh, I think I can handle myself decently in a fight," he said.

"What about the kids?" asked the woman, "Are you confident you can protect them?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and was about to give a reply, when he was interrupted.

"If it came down to it, would you give your life for them?"

Naruto looked at the woman and honestly contemplated the question.

"Naruto! Naruto!"

Hearing Nell's voice, he turned around. Nell ran up with Pell behind her, and held out her hands, the two necklaces sitting in her outstretched palms like reflective pools.

"Hey guys, what's up?" he said with a smile, "Do they not work or something?"

Nell looked directly in his eyes, her hazel orbs set in a determined cast.

"If these necklaces represent our bonds of family, then you should have one too," she said firmly, "We've only known each other for a little while, but you've given us nothing but love, care and generosity. You're family to us too, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in a little 'O' of surprise. A warm feeling blossomed into life in his chest and he felt a something prickling at the edge of his vision as the words began to register in his head.

Speechless, he wrapped his hands around Nell's smaller ones, and looked into her eyes, trying to convey the depth of emotion he felt to her with just his. Then, his gaze travelled to Pell, standing next to her, the male twin's identical eyes showing complete agreement with his sister's words.

Naruto finally turned to the woman at his side and answered her question.

"Yes," he said, "I would."

The trader smiled in satisfaction.

"Good," she said.

* * *

A hand swept through dark hair in exasperation as its owner leaned back in her seat, sighing audibly. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window and bounced off the shiny sheriff's badge on the desk, throwing a brilliant reflection onto the plain wall.

"Vi, are those papers in yet?" she yelled into the neighbouring room.

"In a sec, Cupcake, in a sec, don't get your lacy knickers in a knot!" came the harried reply.

Caitlyn, sheriff of Piltover, placed a hand against her forehead and closed her eyes, reaching for the cup of tea she knew would be right next to her. Taking a deep sip of the lukewarm liquid, she stretched backwards, feeling her spine make a satisfying crack. She readjusted her dress a little, noticing that it was noticeably crinkled. She'd have to go get it re-steamed at the local hex-washers soon.

But first…

"Vi!" she yelled again.

The door burst open, and a pink haired woman tumbled in, slammed a pile of papers onto Caitlyn's desk, and tumbled back out.

"There ya go, Cupcake," came the drawled reply thrown over the shoulder, "A new pile just got dropped in by the east office, I'll go take a look. Man, this last couple of months havae been a nightmare. I'm drowning in paperwork."

"Oh, just leave those papers," said Caitlyn quickly, "You can go now, we can handle those in the morning."

She heard the heavy sound of Vi's boots stop suddenly on the floor before they started up again, quicker, and _louder. _

Looking up, she had just enough time to snatch up her cup of tea as Vi's slammed her hands down on the desk, preventing it from spilling over from the violent action. Caitlyn smiled uneasily as she saw the half-crazed look in her colleague's eyes.

"Uh… Vi?"

"Cait… I love you."

Caitlyn spluttered as her face went involuntarily red.

She _knew _Vi's habits, goddamn it! It was just a casual expression, and she knew neither of them swung that way, but it didn't stop the words from having such a powerful impact. _Every. Single. Time. _

"If I have to see another form that requires signing and approval, I'm going to go punch a hole in the wall, I'm not even joking," continued Vi, heedless of the emotional turmoil she had just inflicted on her co-worker, "You're a real life-saver, Cait. I'm going to hit up a bar or something, maybe see if there's a cute guy I can have some fun with. Y'know, relieve some stress. You want in?"

Caitlyn rubbed the bridge of her nose, thankfully feeling the colour receding from her cheeks.

"You know I don't engage in those sorts of activities, Vi," she said sternly.

"Your loss," shrugged Vi, "You're too old-fashioned Cupcake, take it from me. Piltover tradition… pretty stupid, in my opinion. You're missing out on a lot. Trust me. It feels _really _good."

She turned and gave a saucy wink at her friend, who closed her eyes and resisted the urge to throw something at her.

"You can always work on those papers if you've nothing better to do than stand here and try to drag me into depravity," said Caitlyn.

"I'm goin', I'm goin'," said Vi hastily, putting her hands up in surrender.

She got through the door before poking her head back around for one last quip.

"Don't think I don't know about your little toy in the third drawer of your bedroom, though. It's no aspirin, which was what I was looking for at the time, but hey, take what you can get, huh? It's quite the monster, eh, Cait, you naughty girl."

Caitlyn's eyes flashed and she snatched up her rifle, but Vi was already running down the hall, laughing her head off.

"That woman is more annoying than Jinx sometimes," she said to herself, her cheeks once again scarlet, "… I _do _have to find a better hiding place though, I suppose."

In an attempt to get her mind back on work, the dark-haired sheriff looked down at the papers had brought in.

More documents to do with the missing children.

That was the reason why there was so much work this past few months. A number of children had simply gone missing from the city. It was quite alarming, and the office had been inundated with concerned citizens and desperate parents.

This wasn't an isolated incident though. Similar cases had been reported all through Valoran, from time to time, all with the same modus operandi. This was not an unexplained phenomena or a case of strange magicks. No, it was a simple case of kidnapping, human trafficking, smuggling and slavery.

The culprits were very good, though. They were superb at getting their victims and stowing them away without a trace while the masterminds left the scene of the crime. Then they usually laid low enough to fall off the radar before they struck again. They usually hit smaller towns and villages, but the larger cities were not exempt from targeting either.

Caitlyn, her face now set in a grim mask, bent down to open the file from the cabinet at her feet. The kidnappers had a very effective way of hiding their tracks. After they had struck at a location, they usually ditched their disguise and means of transport and smuggling by the time they reached the next town, rendering any attempts at searching for them through appearance almost useless.

She had information on what was most likely their disguises when they had attacked Piltover, but it had been a full two months since then. It was unlikely to help much, as the group should have reached a town by now, and shed their appearances. They were much too professional to be tripped up by a simple wanted poster.

She gritted her teeth. People who preyed on children were the worst.

Making a quick decision, she pressed the button on the device on her desk.

"Beruna? Yes, it's Caitlyn. You know the bounty on the child smugglers? No, it hasn't been claimed. Can you double it please? Yes, I know, it's a lot, but this is probably our last chance. No, the description doesn't need to be updated. Man- middle-aged, dark hair, goatee, moustache. Woman, middle-aged, dark hair. They should be with a large rectangular wagon. It's pulled by some furred beast. A Northern Gigante, most likely, or a Scott's Wilderape. Yes, Beruna, I hope so too. It's a long shot, though."


	10. Chapter 10

"Whoa, this thing really is huge!" said Naruto, looking up the giant mound of fur towering over him.

A dull eye stared at him with disinterest from within the tangled jungle of matted grey fur, then blinked and turned to focus on the road in front again.

"Yeah," shouted the male trader from his seat at the front of his caravan, "It's a northern gigante- this one's called Mujarl. They're pretty rare outside of Freljord as they're hard to tame, so you can tell Mujarl here is my pride and joy."

He bent over and patted the beast's back, and it rumbled lowly in acknowledgement.

"Northern gigantes are pretty ideal for us traders- on the surface, at least. They can pull this huge-ass caravan for days on end, and if we ever get set on by bandits, it's quite the security when we want it to be. Gigantes fight amongst themselves all the time in the wild – they're born fighters. They can get up on their hind legs and they've got enormous claws under all that fur. Their hide is ridiculously tough too- hard to hack through it with a blade, and it's more magic resistant than an army of paladins to boot.

"They'd be higher in demand, but unfortunately their skin becomes brittle and shatters once there's no blood coursing through their veins. And as I said, they're hard to tame too. Wild as anything. Too difficult to breed and domesticate them. Mujarl is a real one-of-a-kind."

Naruto's gaze dropped to the ground, and saw that indeed, the gigantic beast was leaving scraped tracks that indicated the size of its enormous claws. He whistled lowly.

"Woooooow," said Pell, awestruck, his eyes slowly travelling up the side of the gigante that, to the pint-sized boy, might as well have been as large as a mountain.

His sister, on the other hand, was hiding in the folds of Naruto's cloak, holding onto the hem of the garment and peering out apprehensively.

"Hey now," said Naruto kindly, "It's not going to hurt you."

However, Nell just gripped harder to his cloak, much to his amusement.

"Say," yelled the trader, "Since we're going in the same direction, what do you say to having the kids ride up here with us? We've got room up here for the two little ones. It'll make the journey a lot faster, and me and the missus would love the company."

Naruto smiled up at him.

"That sounds like a good idea," he shouted back.

He turned to his charges.

"Waddaya say?" he asked, "Wanna ride up in the wagon? It could save your poor legs the walking."

Pell nodded excitedly, while Nell was a little more reserved in her acceptance. She wasn't too keen on getting too close to the scary looking creature pulling the caravan, but her legs tired out quicker than her brother's, and she didn't want to slow down the group by asking for a break.

"That's the spirit," called the trader encouragingly, "Trust me, the view up here is amazing! I'll go get the ladder."

"There's no need for that," said Naruto quickly.

He scooped up a twin in each arm and swiftly ran up the side of the caravan, his soles sticking to the vertical slope with chakra. In just moments, he reached the seating area at the front, startling the trader's wife with his abrupt arrival, almost causing her to drop the mechanical gadget she was fiddling with.

"What's that?" Naruto asked curiously as he carefully placed each child down on the ledge.

"Oh this?" said the female trader after regaining her composure, "It's just a communicator. Haven't you seen one before?"

Naruto shook his head mutely.

"Well, I guess mages have their own way of communicating, with spells and such," said the woman, "But us normal folk have to make do with our little trinkets. It's not as convenient though- these communicators are rather short-ranged."

"That was a mighty fine trick you pulled there," chipped in her husband, "I've never seen someone run up the side of walls like that. Can't imagine it's very useful in a fight though."

"Yeah, more so in running away," joked Naruto as he turned to run down again.

They all shared a laugh, before Naruto ruffled Pell's hair, winked at Nell, then started his descent.

* * *

The fading light of sunset shone through the boughs of the trees as the small party wound their way through the rapidly darkening woods. Sporadic snapping and cracking sounded as twilight set in, the enormous caravan pushing past the low hanging branches, only barely small enough to fit on the wide path cutting through the forest.

"Can't we stop here for the night?" asked Naruto, "It's getting dark."

"Just a little bit further," said the male trader, leaning over and speaking softly as to not wake the twins nodding off on the caravan seat, "There's a nice little clearing that we'll be coming up to very soon that's just perfect for setting up camp. Trust me, we've travelled this route many times before."

"Alright," said Naruto, shrugging as he folded his arms behind his head, "I don't mind. The weather's not bad for an evening stroll."

"No it's not," came a rough voice from his right, "But it's also just right for a robbery. Put 'em up."

Naruto let one eye lazily slide over to look at the speaker.

"Put what up?"

"Yer hands, blondie, put yer hands up. We got a mage 'ere, so no funny business, ya hear?"

The harsh illumination of a fireball burst into life, throwing light onto the path.

"Ho there, Mujarl," said the male trader nervously, gripping the reins and bringing the huge beast to a halt.

Numerous flames flickered as torches were lit, revealing that the small group was now far from alone. Like a predatory pack of wolves, there were dark figures emerging from the woods from all directions, completely encircling the caravan. Torchlight reflected off drawn steel as knives, swords and cudgels were brandished.

"Bandits…" muttered the trader.

"Das right," came the voice of the speaker again, "We bandits. And we 'ere to do what bandits do. Whatcha got in the 'van, man?"

"W-wild beasts. My wife and I are beast traders," stammered the trader.

"Feh," the bandit leader spat onto the ground, "Useless. But ya gotta have gold, dontcha?"

"You can have it all… just let us go," said the trader quickly.

There was a pause before raucous laughter rippled through the bandit group. Naruto took the moment of mirth to sneak a glance up at Nell and Pell. The two were wide awake now, Nell hugging onto her brother for comfort which he tried his best to provide while simultaneously trying to hide his fear. He caught Naruto's eye, who nodded solemnly, proud of the young boy's attempt to stay strong for the sake of his sister. Pell, seeing this, stiffened his features and straightened his back, reassured by his older companion's unworried countenance.

"It don't work like that, see, man," sneered the bandit leader after the laughter had petered out, "We do the negotiatin' here, man, not you. Ya just sit there and be quiet, see? Although there's no point to that either, really, 'cause we gonna slaughter the lot o' ya anyway. Can't leave loose ends, see?"

The trader's wife gasped at this, and the bandit leader's eyes snapped to her instantly.

"Yes, lady, you too. You and yer brats too. I'm not the sentimental type, see, so ladies and brats get no free pass from me. I'm no gentleman, no sir, ha!"

Naruto looked up at his companions, wondering what he ought to do. He could fight them all, sure, and he was almost certain he'd win handily, but it just didn't seem like the right time for it. The bandits seemed to be stalling it out, for some reason.

"That's an awfully tall caravan you got there though, man," called the bandit mockingly, "I don't suppose ya'd drop the ladder now would ya, all nice like? Would make us killin' ya all easy, see."

"Why would we help you monsters if you're just going to kill us?" called the female trader tearfully, wrapping her arms around the twins in a protective embrace.

"Oh, ya ungrateful pig. Was gonna say if ya did that I'd at least off ya quickly, but instead we gonna have ta shoot ya down like a pigeon. Archers!"

A ragged line of bandits emerged from the darkness of the woods each holding a yew longbow and a makeshift quiver of scrappy arrows.

Now a little worried, Naruto's gaze snapped upwards. He might be able to beat all of the bandits, but what he _couldn't _do was heal, or resurrect. If one of his companions got hit with an arrow, that was the end. His hands snapped up, a ball of light surrounding it instantly.

The male trader, in a similarly panicked state, met Naruto's eyes. He saw the defiance there and the glowing light around his hands and immediately saw a way out of their situation.

"Can you hold them off?" he yelled desperately, "I can save your kids!"

Naruto nodded instantly and the trader immediately turned and grabbed his wife, pulling her and the twins into the safety of the caravan.

"GO WILD MUJARL!" was bellowed out just before the door slammed shut.

At the command, the gigantic beast gave out an earth-shattering roar and reared up on its hind legs, raising its claws to the sky before slamming them into the ground. It screamed again before tearing off down the path, moving at a surprisingly rapid pace given the size of both it and its cargo.

The bandits blocking the path wisely dove aside to avoid being trampled as the gigante galloped away. A few arrows were sent flying in the direction of the wagon, but they harmlessly bounced off either the steel walls or the gigante's tough hide.

Naruto stared out as his companions moved away into the distance. He let out a sigh of relief. At least the kids were safe. He allowed his hands to drop, the chakra fizzling out.

"Oi, looks like ya 'friends' ditched ya," said the bandit leader in an ugly voice, "Not much we can do 'gainst that beast though, see. You, on the other hand, 'ave been thrown to the wolves. I doubt ya've much gold on ya though, but at least ya cloak looks fancy enough. Probably'll fetch a pretty penny at the markets."

"Yes, that's right," said Naruto mildly, "Don't suppose you'll just let me go, though?"

Dark chuckles were his only reply as the bandits closed in on him, sadistic smiles adorning their faces.

"I'm warning you…" said Naruto, more firmly, "If you try and kill me I'll return the favour. I'm giving you _one _chance to back off. _One _chance to save your miserable lives."

"Just die, blondie!" screeched a voice behind him.

Naruto spun around in an instant, dodged the incoming axe strike that had been aimed at the back of his skull, and thrust out with his palm, completely blowing off the head of his assailant with a concentrated blast of wind.

There was a sort of stunned silence as all of his attackers collectively paused to try and process what had just happened, but Naruto wasn't so nice as to allow them this reprieve. He gestured, and a spear of rock burst from the ground, impaling another bandit and lifting the corpse bodily off the ground. A wave to the side, and a second earth spire split from the first, ending another life in a similar fashion.

At this point the bandits started to gather their wits, and the idea that their prey wasn't nearly as defenceless as they assumed was now starting to register in their minds with desperate urgency.

"He's just one man!" one yelled, "Everyone get him!"

Affirmative yells filled the air, only to be replaced by bloodcurdling screams as the air around Naruto burst into brilliant flame, scorching everyone around him.

"That damn Moffat… this isn't what he told us at all! This guy's a goddamn battle-mage!"

Naruto's sharp ears picked up this growled comment from across the battlefield and he turned to the source, his interest piqued. Moffat was the trader's name… why would these bandits know that name?

Someone tried to take advantage of his seemingly distracted state by stabbing him with a dagger, but to the poor bandit's surprise, the dagger suddenly stopped in mid-air, blocked by an invisible wall of wind. Naruto gave a contemptuous wave of his hand, and his attacker's head slid off the attached neck, sliced off by a cut cleaner than could be made by any blade.

With a serious expression on his face, Naruto gathered chakra into his feet and leaped into the air, the propulsion sending him high and a chakra-born wind keeping him aloft. He cleared the space in a single bound and landed among a small group of bandits that had been hanging back, their rough looking leader and the one who had dropped the name _Moffat _among their ranks.

The bandits looked up in shock as he slammed into the ground, the earth rippling up and softening his landing almost like a cushion. Two of them made to strike him down, but he barely gave a glance in their direction as he waved his hand and the air itself crushed their ribs like wet paper.

This little display was nothing to Naruto… but it was _very _significant to the bandit leader, who at this casual display of incredible power, understood in that very instant that none of them stood a chance against the enemy they had chosen to tangle with.

"Retreat boys!" he yelled, "Moffat and Daria 'ave secured the prize, so git outta here! Regroup at HQ! Run fer ya lives!"

However, those were all the orders he managed to get out before Naruto sent a blast of wind chakra to crush his throat. He collapsed, a wet gurgling sounding as he tried desperately to take in air, and failing miserably. His fingers scrabbled at his throat fruitlessly, coming away bloody.

Naruto frowned, and threw a kunai straight through his eye, instantly stilling the leader's struggles. This one, particularly, he wanted to make sure was dead.

But this act had taken time, time that the remaining bandits had used to scatter and run away. The ones that had been further away had already disappeared into the woods, but the ones that had been in the group with the leader were luckily still in sight. Naruto recognised the one he had mentally marked down as the one who he had overheard say the trader's name among the fleeing bandits, and he narrowed his eyes.

Clenching his fist in an emphatic motion, he pulled the wind chakra around the specific man towards himself, watching in satisfaction as the man's speed dropped to zero almost immediately. It was almost comical how the man's legs were pumping with as much power as they could produce, yet he could move not an inch.

However, Naruto was not exactly in a jovial mood, and he did not take the time to enjoy the sight, instead quickly retracting his hand, increasing the force of the wind and making the man actually move backwards, towards him.

"W-What the hell is this?!" he heard the man scream in frustration and fear.

"Come here," Naruto said forcefully, and amped up the power once more.

This time the man was lifted forcefully off his feet and sent flying backwards to slam down at Naruto's feet in a crumpled heap, letting out a pained moan as he landed. Naruto didn't give him much time to recover, though, and uncaringly kicked him until he was forced to roll over onto his back.

"Hey, you," said the blond, "I've got some questions for you to an-"

However, he didn't get to finish the sentence as a blistering fireball interrupted him when it crashed into his head, exploding into a raging inferno upon impact.

* * *

The bandit on the ground could barely believe his eyes as the monster that his troupe had engaged was suddenly engulfed in flame.

"Huh?" he said stupidly, looking around.

"Run, Diarro!" came a scream, "Get out of the way!"

The bandit looked up at the sound of his name, and saw Poe, the group's only mage, preparing another fireball, this one much larger than the last.

Diarro forced himself to his feet and took off towards the woods again. Judging by the size of the explosion of the first fireball, he _did _not want to be caught in the blast radius of the second one.

He ran to the relative safety of the trees before he deemed it safe enough to look back, just in time to see Poe launch not one, but _two _gigantic fireballs at the dark figure somehow still visible within the flames.

"Take that you bastard!" yelled the mage, panting with exhaustion.

"Please."

Diarro swallowed inadvertently as he heard the unimpressed tone, a chill running down his spine as he watched the veritable firestorm blazing in the clearing suddenly billow out like a sheet. The wild flames somehow created an orderly dome around the tall figure standing in the middle, the flying sparks creating an air of majesty around him as they flickered through the air like so many fireflies, filling the air yet never touching the man standing amongst them. Diarro saw the unharmed state of every lock of golden hair, the completely unruffled clothes, and the disinterested expression in the cold blue eyes, and felt the icy hand of despair grip his heart.

Grabbing a tree trunk to steady himself, he watched in near disbelief as the man commanded the flames with one hand, like a conductor commands his orchestra. They twisted and flowed around gracefully in accordance with his hand motions, following his every motion like an obedient puppy, even as they moved back towards their creator and immolated him in an enormous pillar of fire as he sat there, too stunned to even move.

Diarro saw this and even as a small nagging voice told him it was hopeless to try and defy something that powerful, felt his survival instinct kicking in. So with tottering steps, he started running again.

* * *

He had not been running for more than two minutes when he heard the communicator at his hip buzz into angry life.

"Diarro? Come in, Diarro, are you guys done yet? Why haven't you contacted us?" came the static-distorted voice of the female trader.

"Daria, you bitch," spat Diarro, ripping the device from his belt and screaming into it.

"W-what?" came the confused reply.

"That guy didn't know '_minor magic tricks', _he was a full-blown BATTLEMAGE! I've never seen anyone use magic like that in my entire life! He's already taken out at least a dozen men, with less effort than someone making breakfast! He's even killed Poe!"

"What? Impossible!"

"Impossible my ass- you've gotten our guys killed, you stupid cow. You said you scoped him out already, and 'he's harmless' you said, 'and naïve to boot'."

"He was!"

"Yeah, and the goddess Arminya shines out of my asshole. You fucking stupid sow, how could you fuck up SO HARD? Why did you have to go for these extra few kids, you greedy goat? We already have so many fucking kids from Piltover- we don't need any more brats!"

"H- how dare you! These ones are really high quality! They'll fetch a great amount at the slave market, I guarantee it!"

"Enough to justify the deaths of a dozen good men?" said Diarro cuttingly.

There was a short silence as Daria struggled for words.

"Well, whatever," said Diarro, calming himself the slightest amount, "Boss told the survivors to meet at HQ… before that blond monster got to him."

"What?!" came the shriek from the communicator, "Is he okay?"

"No, you stupid bat, that battlemage is way too strong. Nobody stood a chance. The boss went down like a sack of shit."

"That can't be…"

"I'm telling you, that guy's a fucking monster. He's not bloody huma…"

Diarro's sentence trailed off as he realised he was no longer talking into the communicator. He had been holding it up in front of his face, but it wasn't there anymore. For one ridiculous moment he thought there was something wrong with his vision, but he quickly realised that he could see just fine. But where was the communicator? He couldn't have dropped it, surely?

He cast around stupidly, before spotting it on the ground at his feet, still in his hand.

Wait a moment…

Diarro's eyes widened as his mind sluggishly tried to register the sight of his own hand on the ground before the pain suddenly hit him like a runaway horse.

He caught sight of his forearm, sheared off at an angle in a perfectly straight line even as he collapsed as to his knees, clutching his stump to his chest and screaming in agony.

"Diarro? Diarro! What's happening!" came Daria's frantic voice from the dropped communicator.

But Diarro either couldn't hear her or had other things on his mind, as he didn't even spare the slightest drop of attention to the buzzing communicator.

Tears dripped from his eyes as the pain rocked his entire body, filling his mind with a brilliant nova of light and noise.

"Found you," came a voice from behind him.

Through the tears, Diarro managed to turn around to see a hem of a black cloak. Already knowing what he would see, but still acting out of a sense of morbid curiously, his gaze moved upwards, travelling up the tall torso to alight upon blond hair and a pair of blue eyes that were as empty and cold as the Void itself.

* * *

Moffat leaned against the small table in the caravan, sipping from his mug of varm, while his partner Daria fiddled with the communicator, messing with the settings. He sighed, drained his cup, and threw it into the small basin in the corner.

"Mister! Mister, why are you doing this?" came a small voice, "Let us out!"

Moffat's eyes snapped over to a tiny cage where the voice had come from. Inside the steel enclosure which was only really big enough to fit a large dog, Pell and Nell were being held, curled into uncomfortable balls in order to fit. The trader glared at Pell, the one who had spoken, and stood up with a clatter.

Pell upon meeting the malicious, hateful eyes of Moffat, so different from the pleasant man he had met the day before, recoiled in fear and surprise.

"Listen here, you brat," Moffat said, reaching the twins' cage and kneeling down to be at eye level with them, "The next time you make a sound, I'm going to cut out your tongue."

Nell couldn't help but gasp at such a horrible threat, especially as it was delivered with such a cruel, casual tone.

"That goes for you too, girl. Not a peep, you hear me?"

"Why are you doing this?" squeaked Nell.

Moffat looked down and slowly unsheathed his dagger, the wicked edge gleaming from the light installed in the ceiling.

"Something wrong with your ears, girl? Perhaps I should cut those off too."

Nell started to cry, something that seemed to please Moffat, if the cruel smirk that covered his face was anything to go by.

"Hey now," he said with a mockingly cheerful tone, "Don't cry … _that counts as making a sound, too._"

"Moffat, stop messing with them and come back here! Something's happening with Diarro!" came Daria's voice, high pitched with worry.

"You're lucky Daria likes the look of you two," Moffat spat, resheathing his blade and turning to walk towards the table, where the communicator was squawking something he couldn't quite make out.

He quickly allowed his gaze to span the caravan's walls, his eyes roaming across the three sides of fabric-covered surfaces before coming to a satisfied stop at a small cloth sitting on the back of a chair.

"Here we are," he said happily, picking it up.

He matched one end to the corner of the twins' cage and began to pull it across, blocking the front of the cage and rendering it identical to all the other sheets that covered the insides of the caravan like a bad wallpaper job. He noticed with glee that Nell had put her fist into her mouth to stop herself from making a sound, even as she still shook with silent sobs and tears fell from her eyes in an unceasing river. Her brother was glaring at him, but could not hide the fear that emanated from his eyes like a torch beam.

"Remember… don't make a sound, kids."

Moffat finished covering up the cage, and turned to stride back over to Daria who was hunched over the table, staring at the communicator with shocked eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Just listen," she said, not taking her eyes off the communicator.

Moffat leaned in, a look on his confusion on his face. The communicator was making strange, high-pitched noises- a loud, almost shrill keening that was intermittently interrupted by a muffled muttering.

"I don't get it… what's happeni- is that Diarro?" Moffat asked, faintly recognising the muttering as the voice of their liaison within the bandit group.

Daria's pale expression turned to him and at her look of horror, Moffat suddenly realised that the strange noises from the communicator was not an error with the acoustics or electronic feedback, but it was actually faint _screaming. _

"What the hell's going on?" he demanded, immediately closing in and twisting the volume knob of the communicator to full blast.

The voices they could hear seemed to be quite far away from the communicator itself, so even at full blast, the sound was rather quiet. However, it was now at least quite clear to the two traders what was being said.

"Who are those two traders… Moffat and Daria?" came the cold voice of Naruto through the communicator.

"Th-they're the masterminds b-behind our operation… they w-work with us," whimpered Diarro, the fear and pain in his voice unmistakable, even through the staticky distortion of the device.

"That coward ratted us out!" growled Moffat angrily, but a hand on his arm from Daria caused him to look at her.

The haunted look in her eyes and a grim shake of her head calmed him long enough to realise that Diarro being a simple traitor wasn't the whole story.

"And what operation would that be?" asked Naruto, not a trace of amusement or curiosity in his voice.

There was silence broken only by Diarro's pants, before there was a horrible squelching sound and Diarro began to scream again, a terrible pain-wracked screech that pierced through the tense quiet in the caravan. Moffat stared at Daria, his mouth falling open. He didn't know what had just happened back on his comrade's side, but that sound was _not _pleasant. It was clearly the sound of flesh being ripped apart, and the sheer pain that would entail was not something he would like to dwell on. Daria met his gaze, tears gathering at her eyes as she bit her lip.

"Well?" asked Naruto, his voice cold and cutting, clear and recognisable even over Diarro's screaming, "If I ask you a question, answer me. You still have three fingernails, my one-armed friend, and I won't hesitate to pull those out too if you don't give me what I want."

Diarro just continued screaming… until the pair listening heard Naruto sigh audibly, followed by a fresh round of screams that seemed even _louder… _if that was even possible.

"Two left…" said Naruto, "You're running out of fingers, my friend… perhaps I should move onto toes next."

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" sobbed Diarro, agony clear in every syllable, "D-Don't hurt me anymore!"

"Well?"

"We kidnap kids and sell them to slave traders! We were just at Piltover and picked up a whole lot of them! Moffat and Daria usually scope out a section of the city- orphanages, schools, even easy-looking households… and then the rest of us take the goods and- AAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Oh my, so sorry," said Naruto, his voice displaying no evidence to suggest such a sentiment, "My hand slipped… anyways, why target us?"

"… no more… please…"

"So you're not going to answer my questions?"

"NOnononono! I am, I am! Daria saw your kids! Thought they would make us a lot of money, so they decided to get us to kill you so they could make off with your kids! She thought it would be easy to get you to sacrifice your life for them!"

"Oh, I see. Well, thanks for your help, but I'm afraid you've now outlived your usefulness. Goodbye, my bandit friend."

"W-wait! Spare me, please! I can tell you where your kids are! I can tell you where Moffat and Daria are! Please!"

There was not a trace of mercy as Naruto said with a tone of finality, "I have my own ways of finding what I want, don't worry."

There was a strangled sob from Diarro but Naruto continued without paying him much heed.

"I'll at least give you a painless death for your help… well, _relatively_ painless. You _are _a disgusting piece of shit who kidnaps children, though… so you kinda deserve it. But hey, wanna know something cool? Apparently being burned alive isn't as painful as you might think. Apparently your nerves are one of the first things to go and you don't feel much pain… after the first few minutes of mind-numbing agony, anyway. Or that's what they say, at least… let's find out now, shall we?"

The screaming that begun at that point was so horrendous, so soul-wrenchingly wretched, that Moffat and Daria could almost convince themselves that they couldn't hear the telltale whoosh of fire… the bubbling of fat being cooked, the crackling of and crisping of skin, the hissing of burning flesh. They could almost convince themselves that it was just their imagination, that their minds were morbidly filling in the gaps between the screams, just jumping to the worst conclusion. _Almost._

They listened for what seemed like eternity, until the screaming turned hoarse, and then petered out entirely, leaving only the merry sounds of fire, amplified by the buzzing static of the communicator. It had realistically only been several minutes, but to the couple sitting inside the caravan in shock, it may as well have been hours.

Finally, Daria was the first one to snap out of it.

"What do we do now?" she asked quietly

Moffat looked back at her, his eyes wide with desperate fear.

"I don't know…" he said slowly, an icy river of despair starting to creep through his veins.

* * *

Naruto paused as he reached a small clearing. Spinning around suddenly, his sharp eyes sought out the dark corners, looking for anybody that could possibly be hiding in the shadows. Seeing nothing but the darkness, he nonetheless stood still, his countenance stony.

Slowly, gently, he lifted up his hood, until his face was again hidden from sight, transforming him from a frightening young man into a terrifying spectre of the night. He stood for a moment, a dark pillar amongst the trees, before countless shadows burst from his form, splitting up and rapidly traversing the woods, each hunting a quarry only they could track.

The original continued to stand there for a second. He, along with his Shadow Clones, were now sporting the distinctive eye markings of Sage Mode- not that anyone could see it, with both the darkness and the special vision-obscuring properties of his hood in play. The natural energy amplified Naruto's considerable sensor abilities a hundredfold, and it was this ability the clones were using to locate the prey they were seeking.

"No one escapes alive," growled the original Naruto, not a single shred of mercy to be found in his voice.

He had his own targets to catch… a pair travelling in an enormous metal box, pulled by an equally gargantuan beast. Even without Sage Mode boosting his senses, he was sure he'd be able to find who he wanted without much trouble.

He gave one more look back at the woods behind him, before darting off in a shadowy streak.

_Strange…_

Sage Mode allowed him to sense things far beyond his normal capabilities… and it had been telling him there had been _something _in the space between two of the trees behind him. He had felt the thing following him for a while now, but only with the power of Sage Mode had he had his suspicions confirmed.

However, whatever it was, he couldn't see it at all, even with the aid of chakra, but it didn't seem to mean him any harm either. It seemed content with just watching and following.

Naruto knew for certain that it was not a part of the bandit group though, so he put the mysterious presence out of his mind. He would deal with it later, perhaps.

* * *

From the shadows of the woods, two figures watched the Naruto shoot away in pursuit. One was low to the ground, while the other stood upright. However, both of them looked distinctly _inhuman._ The shape of their bodies, the way they held themselves, there was an animalistic quality to them that couldn't be denied.

"Why must we follow this man, dear Wolf?" asked a sweet female voice- the upright figure.

"He smells like fun, so fun! Beautiful prey follows him everywhere!" came the deep growling response from the other.

The woman sniffed disdainfully.

"I don't like it. There's no one for me to hunt. Everywhere he goes smells like violent death."

"I like him!"

"You would."

"Come on! It's a feast, Lamb, a feast!"

"I suppose it is, dear Wolf… for you," a pause, "Alright, let's go. We've a long night ahead of us."


	11. Chapter 11

How long had she been running? The sky had long since been enveloped by the menacing darkness of night, and it was only by the light of her lit torch that she could even see the path through the trees that she desperately followed. The sound of her ragged breathing and pounding heart was inordinately loud to the young woman, louder even then the crackling of her torch and the crunching of dead leaves and twigs underfoot.

She paused for only a second to look back in fear, her heart continuing to race like a falcon mid-stoop. Her ears, straining to hear the slightest noise out of the ordinary, heard nothing but the sound of her own terror. Her eyes, adjusted to the light of the torch, saw nothing in the dark woods except long shadows and phantoms.

But that was what she was most afraid of.

Their prey had been a wishy-washy looking blond- handsome, clean-shaven, not an ounce of hardship to be seen in those pleasant features. He had been wearing an expensive looking black cloak, and apparently even had the luxury of knowing some magic. _Parlour tricks_, Daria had said. _Nothing to worry about_.

It turns out those parlour tricks were _lethal. _The target had shown a mastery of the arcane arts that seemed superhuman- power that wouldn't be out of place on an Ionian spellweaver or even a Champion. He had effortlessly massacred her teammates, extinguishing their lives with naught but a wave of his hand, not a drop of concern showing on his face. He had mercilessly slain the group's leader, and had even trounced their mage in magical prowess, killing the latter with his own flames.

It had been clear that none of them could hope to match him, and most bandits usually valued their lives and wellbeing over any sort of loyalty to the group, so at this point everyone scattered and ran for their lives through the dark woods, including her.

She had been with two others, and they had run together in silence for a while until they thought they were safe. They had rested for several minutes, trying to regain their breath and strength after their desperate bid for safety. They spent the time in silence, disbelief and relief robbing them of anything they would have otherwise said.

She had been sat down with her back to the trunk of a tree, trying to give her legs a rest, while the other two had elected to stand, one drinking from a flask on his hip while the other bent over double to ease the stitch in his side.

It was only because of her position on the ground that she saw the dark shape alight on a high branch above the little group like some sort of demented bat. It was utterly silent, and only the unnatural shape of flapping fabric distorting the faint torchlight managed to catch her attention.

It was _him. _She was sure of it. There was no mistaking the unnerving shifting texture of the black cloak that seemed to move and flicker like a shadow. However, this time there was no sign of the fresh-faced blond mage. A hood enshrouded the head of the figure, made of the same shimmering darkness as the rest of the cloak, enshrouding every feature within in a veil of pure night. This was no human… surely it was a spectral phantasm plucked straight from the Shadow Isles.

She watched it perch there for a moment, like an eagle inspecting its prey, before some base instinct within snapped into effect and she scrambled to her feet. Her comrade who had been drinking looked up, and upon seeing her pale face and panicked eyes, snapped his own gaze to follow her line of sight, raising his torch high.

Seeing the almost invisible shape of their pursuer thrown into sharp relief by the flickering torchlight, he immediately darted to her side of the clearing, completely abandoning his teammate, who was still hunched over.

And not a moment too soon, too, as just as he vacated the area, the dark shape of their bogeyman dropped out of the treetops and onto the unsuspecting bandit. It happened in a matter of seconds, and there were no sounds except the sound of a single wet _squelch _and the thump of their companion's knees hitting the ground.

The two of them only caught a glimpse of the dark figure with his arm protruding grotesquely from his victim's chest, the black gloved hand covered in crimson lifeblood. They saw only the slightest hint of their late friend's bulging eyes, his horrified expression, heard only the start of his gurgling death rattle.

That was all… because driven by a survival instinct that proved irresistible even though the odds seemed impossible, they had started to desperately run as far away from that monstrous killer as they possibly could.

That was all they could do.

They could not hope to match him battle, could not hope to persuade him to spare them before he killed them, could not bribe or trick him.

They could only run for their lives… and pray.

* * *

She reached out and placed a hand against the trunk of a nearby tree to steady herself. Her breaths were coming roughly now, a harsh pressure against her chest making each lungful of air a painful one. She balled up her fists and felt the beginning of tears welling up at the corner of her eyes.

Despair overtook her and she slumped to her knees. She couldn't run any longer.

"Kill me and be done with it!" she cried out, knowing _he _was listening.

She knew he was there. That _thing _was merciless, relentless, infallible. Her last remaining partner had fallen during the pair's only disastrous attempt at hiding. They had tossed their extinguished torches to the side and jumped into the hollow beneath the roots of a tree, holding their breath and hoping with all their might that their pursuer might pass them by, foiled by the absence of light.

For a remarkably long moment it seemed like it had worked, and hope had tentatively been nurtured in their breasts… only for it to be dashed almost immediately after. Their ruse had been discovered laughably fast- she supposed it had been some sort of magic that could detect their whereabouts – however he did it, their hunter somehow knew exactly where they were. They hadn't fooled him for a single second.

She knew the worst had come to pass when the roots of the tree that they had been sheltering under came to life and abruptly impaled her teammate. She saw _him _crouching just above, one hand pressed against the tree-trunk, glowing a faint blue. More roots came to crawling life, twisting and writhing in their earthen prison as they stretched out to try and take her too.

She didn't let them have their chance- she darted out of reach deftly and forced her trembling legs to carry her onwards- further into the dark woods again.

But now, she couldn't run any longer. Her legs had reached her limit. They were about to give out. More than that though- her psyche simply couldn't take it anymore. Having a perpetual threat hanging over her head was taking its toll- emotionally and mentally. Knowing of her hunter's supernatural abilities, his willingness to kill, his cold bloodlust, all of this was starting to tax hard on her previously strong desire to live.

The cold jaws of hopelessness had latched onto her heart, and nothing but death loomed in front of her.

She stared out emptily as _he _swept into sight, the moonlight lending a ghostly ethereal quality to his shape. Like always, there was no sound- no crackling of crushed leaves or twigs underfoot, no rustling of fabric from the hooded cloak he was wearing, not even any harsh breathing from all the chasing he had been doing. There was nothing to suggest that there was anyone with her at all except his ghostly appearance and the crushing despair he inspired.

He stood before her, an imposing pillar, a silent executioner.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow. However, to her surprise, she felt something cold wrap around her body and roughly pull her upright.

She opened her eyes in shock, trying to take stock of her situation.

The sensation came from a solid layer of dirt around her body, encasing her from the neck down like some sort of strange earthen armour.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, not really expecting an answer.

"Scum like you deserve to suffer," came the glacial reply, restrained fury and bloodlust somehow discernible even through the clipped and curt tone.

She looked up at him in horror, just as the grains of dirt around her began to constrict around her, tightening to an uncomfortable degree. From her vantage point, being bound up like a mummy, she was in a perfect position to look into the hood of her pursuer, with the rising moon casting its light directly into it.

_But she couldn't see anything._

The light illuminated every fold and crease of his strange flickering cloak, but everything underneath that hood was pure black. Not even the hint of the shape of his face could be seen even though direct moonlight should have been lighting it up. It was as if something was swallowing the light from inside, or as if… _even the light itself would not dare touch what lay within that hood_.

A shiver ran down her spine as she realised that despite having thrust an entire arm through her comrade earlier, not a drop of blood or gore stained that dark cloak of his. Cold, visceral terror started to clutch sharply at her heart. She was scared before, but this was something else entirely.

"W-Who… no, _what_ are you?" she asked, her voice unsteady.

"Your worst nightmare," came the reply.

She knew it. This guy wasn't some mage. It was some sort of wretched creature from the Shadow Isles. Some sort of twisted spirit or dark monster taken human form. The horrid things from that cursed region could do much worse than kill a man. She had heard the horror stories as a child. The Harrowing. The Black Mist.

After all, your body could _just _die. But your soul – why, your soul could be tortured for all of eternity.

She no longer wished to give in and face her fate. Rather, she wished _merely _to die.

She started to thrash and struggle inside her prison of dirt and soil. However, the unforgiving embrace of the packed earth did a good job of restricting her movements, keeping her locked up tightly. If anything, it seemed to press against her even more roughly, and she felt her ribs creak in protest.

"Please!" she yelled out desperately, "Don't kill me! I'll do anything!"

The hood tilted to the side, and the crushing pressure of the earth around her seemed to slacken the slightest amount.

"Anything?" came the question.

"Yes! Anything! I'll be your slave for life! I'll lick your boots, I'll kill for you, I'll whore out my body on the streets if you wish! I'll do anything!"

There was a long moment, as if the being in front of her was actually considering it, but just as she started to harbour the slightest hope that her plea for her life had been successful, the spectre leaned in, the darkness inside that hood somehow more severe than before.

"Then _die_ for me," it whispered in her ear, icy steel in every syllable.

She shrieked as the earth began to crush her in earnest, the soil and dirt coming together like the fist of a giant squeezing an orange. It wasn't equally distributed, either- it seemed like the pressure was strongest around the bottom, but the whole thing was increasing in power, at a frightening rate.

"I can feel your sins, when I'm this close to you," the dark figure said, and she could somehow hear it through the pain, through her own screaming, "None of all those kids you've sold into slavery, none of the countless lives you've ruined, none of the miserable deaths you've surely caused, none of the immeasurable innocences you've shattered… none of those were you ever sorry for. You did not grant clemency for any of those children… so why should I show mercy to you? …You disgust me. _Suffer_."

She was being crushed to death. She could feel her bones cracking, her flesh bursting, her blood starting to spray out and stain the surrounding soil. Agony was coursing through her entire body like a white hot river of molten iron.

She was going to die. This was certain.

However, it would be slow. It would be painful.

She knew in that moment why her killer had left her head uncovered by the deadly earth.

It was so it could hear her scream.

So she obliged it to the very end.

* * *

Daria watched in nervous worry as Moffat entered through the small door in the caravan. As he locked and bolted the door closed and activated the magical security arrays, she stood up and plucked at his shirt sleeve.

"How is it?" she asked timidly.

He turned to her with a wan smile.

"I've told Mujarl to guard the caravan. That blond guy's magic is useless against its hide, remember? It'll tear him to pieces. And even if he somehow gets past Mujarl, he can't get through the door. He'll be fried by enough electricity to power an entire city block before he even has enough time to turn the door handle. Trust me, we're fine in here."

Daria continued to grip the sleeve but felt a little bit more confident at Moffat's reassurances.

_We'll be fine… _she thought, _That guy might be an accomplished mage, but he's still human… he'll just die to Mujarl. Won't he?_

She thought about the imposing bulk and frightening natural capabilities of the northern gigante and clenched a fist. Yes, even in the wild, it took almost an entire platoon of experienced Freljordian hunters to kill or capture even one of the enormous beasts. He didn't stand a chance.

She relaxed the slightest amount… only to nearly jump out of her skin as an ear-rending roar resounded, coming from outside.

She transferred her grip to Moffat's arm, holding it tightly.

"He's here…!" she said, frightened.

He turned to her, and she could see clearly, from years of knowing him as she did, that his eyes were full of surprise and a mounting terror. To see what was usually the calm and collected pillar of her life in such a state scared her, to a degree that chilled her to the very bones.

"…that was Mujarl…" breathed Moffat, "…_in pain_. How is that guy able to damage him?"

The two lapsed into silence before another keening wail from Mujarl split the air, causing Daria to start to bite her lip, shivering in terror.

"Not even Mujarl…?" she asked.

"D-don't worry, there's still the security arra-"

A sudden loud _THUMP _interrupted him, accompanied by the caravan rocking on its wheels, violently careening to the side before crashing back down to stability. Moffat and Daria were sent sprawling to the floor by the motion, mirroring the fate of the items on the table, which itself had slid to the far wall, slamming into some of the covered cages with a metallic clash.

The two of them, lying crumpled on the floor, upon hearing the sound of resolute footsteps on the metal walkway outside, felt their eyes drawn to the locked and bolted door, to which the footsteps were obviously heading.

As the owner of the footsteps stopped before the door, Daria could feel her breathing quicken as she stared at the metal door with wide eyes.

_Any moment now…_

The sound of someone gripping the door handle was quickly drowned out by Moffat's excited "Yes!" as a network of magical seals lit up on the walls while they shuddered under the stress of channelling thousands of volts of electricity into the body of the attempted intruder.

The seals continued to glow for several long moments, and the sound of crackling electricity started to become audible as the system intensified over time. As the seconds wore on, Moffat's triumphant grin slowly drooped until a worried expression covered his face.

"Hang on," he whispered, "It's not supposed to be like this. Why hasn't he died ye-"

There was a titanic _crunch _and then the security seals immediately flickered and died, leaving behind a sad drawn-out screech that slowly petered out.

Moffat and Daria exchanged wary glances, only for their attention to be drawn back to the door by the sound of shrieking metal, where to their horror, they could literally see the hinges and bolts warping as a tremendous pressure acted on them from outside. Daria's remaining hand flew to her mouth as she gasped, the sound escaping her involuntarily as she saw magically reinforced steel twisting like liquorice in front of her very eyes. A few violent pops sounded as a few screws were forced out of their casings, and they shot out of the door like heated corn kernels, clattering to the ground noisily.

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped.

The sound of tortured metal ceased, the assault on the hinges and locks ended- it was almost like _he _had given up.

Daria let out a shaky breath she hadn't even realised she had been holding…

…and screamed shrilly as the silent door was ripped bodily from its frame in a single mighty heave and sent flying back towards the surrounding forest, trailing loose screws and nuts like the tail of a comet across the sky.

A dark figure stood in the jagged doorway, a sinister dark cloak hiding his silhouette with shifting shadows. One gloved hand was gripping the doorframe, while the other hand was holding a crackling spear made of violent, pulsating electricity.

Daria swallowed at the imposing sight, and had to consciously focus on not losing control over her bladder… no, more than that… she had to manually force herself to _breathe_. The atmosphere in the caravan was suddenly stifling- just being in the same room as the intimidating figure was making every breath catch in her throat, making every lungful of air a battle.

Even though there were lit lamps inside the room, Daria couldn't see anything under that hood, just a faceless, impenetrable darkness. The more she stared into it, the more it seemed to draw in the light, swallow it, and greedily look for more. The inky void within that space seemed _darker _than black, if that was even possible. An all-consuming maw, hungering for everything light and good in the world… Daria was suddenly struck by something she had heard from her grandfather as a young child. She couldn't remember the exact words, and never learned what it was supposed to mean, but it had never seemed more relevant than now.

_Stare into the abyss long enough, and the abyss will stare back. _

She couldn't bear to look anymore- she tried to focus on something else… _anything else. _Her gaze dropped to the floor, and immediately spotted the fresh drops of crimson liquid dotting the wood. Her eyes widened, and slowly lifted to take in again the sight of the stranger in front of her, taking care to avoid resting her gaze on that terrible hood.

He was _covered _in blood. It was hard to tell because dark blood on black material was always hard to distinguish, but there was no mistaking the sticky gleam in the lamplight. And there was _so _much of it. It was running off the cloak in thick rivulets, creating slick rivers on the wooden floor, staining it a vibrant crimson.

Daria wondered if he had actually been injured by Mujarl or the caravan's security system. Maybe they hada chance to fight him off? Her rational side quickly quashed that idea though- both Moffat and her were schemers and deceivers, not fighters- and if the monster in front of them had made it this far, it meant he had gotten past Mujarl, which meant, injured or not, he was completely out of their league.

While her mind entertained these pessimistic thoughts, an ominous shape in the background- behind the man's back- suddenly caught her eye. She couldn't make it out immediately, as it had a very peculiar silhouette, like nothing she had ever seen. It seemed almost like a strange sculpture or memorial, some weird avant-garde art, perhaps. But there shouldn't be anything of that sort out there, so what_ was_ it? Especially something of that size- it easily dwarfed the surrounding trees, towering over the canopy, even larger than the caravan.

Daria felt an odd calmness steal over her as she realised what the shape was. With that realisation came the accompanying knowledge that the _thing _in front of her was a creature with abilities beyond her comprehension. Her impending death was a certainty, a fact written into the very fabric of the universe. There was nothing she could do, no frenzied attack, no desperate begging that could save her now.

Her life was forfeit.

Her fate had been sealed.

She accepted these facts and came to terms with her death. A flash of white seemed to dance into the edge of her vision, a lithe ivory figure prancing into view from who knows where, but Daria didn't care anymore. It wouldn't make a difference. She was going to die.

After all, what could she, or _anyone_ do against a creature who had such inconceivable power? Someone who could warp the reality around him? Someone who could control the very elements, who could shape them to his will? Someone who could draw out every drop of electricity in a high-class magical security array and form it into an enormous god-slaying spear for his own use? Someone who could drive an enormous earthen spire into the magic-resistant, armoured hide of a northern gigante- painting the entire clearing in its blood- and displaying the corpse for all to see like some sort of grotesque skewer?

It was such a cruel question.

There was no correct answer.

* * *

Naruto cast his gaze around the interior of the caravan, his breathing a little unsteady. The necklace around his neck slowly lost its warmth and he felt himself give a sigh of relief in spite of himself. He would never forgive himself if he somehow lost _them_, after they had managed to work their way into his heart, after they had realised their dreams, after they had started on their journey to such a bright future.

But it was okay.

They were here.

His eyes travelled over the cowering couple on the floor without giving them more than a single harsh glance. A momentary jolt of panic made his heart skip a beat when he realised that his wards were nowhere to be found.

However, his composure, forged in countless life-or-death battles, took more than that to rattle. He took a breath and looked around again, this time with a more discerning eye and a calmer heart. Immediately, what he had first thought was some strange textured wallpaper, was actually an enormous amount of cloth flaps. The caravan's interior was much larger than he had first thought.

He reached out to pull off the flap closest to him, when he had a terrible thought. If this cloth was what he thought it was…

A sinking feeling abruptly filled his chest, and he swallowed reflexively. With a single motion, he attached a chakra thread to every flap in the caravan and tore them all off once.

Eyes.

So many, tired, hungry, pained, _frightened _eyes stared back at him.

Every one of the small cages that lined the expansive walls in the enormous wagon held at least two small children, every one of them looking squashed and dishevelled. The sight of every tear- fresh or dried- and every red mark from the cruel iron bars brought a new wave of sorrow and anger to Naruto.

He whirled around to glare at the slave traders on the floor, who recoiled from his furious eyes. Almost without his conscious direction, his killing intent began to leak out, an oozing miasma of hatred focussed squarely on the two in front of him. A rush of warmth filled his veins as he tapped into the Kyuubi's youki, amplifying his negative emotion and staining his eyes a vibrant red.

He growled lowly and took a step forward, only to stop abruptly as he heard a gasp from beside him.

His head snapped around to locate the source of the sound, and he saw a young boy staring up at him, abject terror evident on his face.

Naruto's eyes widened. He had been so caught up in the rush of hate and anger from the terrible sight in front of him, so focussed on revenge and making the perpetrators suffer, that he had completely forgotten that the kids were still there. Not wanting them to feel the effects of his rage any more than necessary (he knew that high amounts of killing intent could stop the hearts of children and elderly), he used his mastery over the wind to pull a pocket of air away from each child's lungs just enough that they would pass out.

Furthermore, they were young. They didn't need to be traumatised by what he was about to do to their captors.

It wasn't going to be pretty.

* * *

The Eternal Hunters stood and watched from behind as the black-cloaked mage slowly unclenched his fist. There was a soft sigh, and then the clump of red-stained earth standing upright slowly sagged to the ground, the supernatural forces holding it up finally released. What remained of the young bandit woman was in such a state that it could have fit comfortably through a sieve.

"That was a good hunt!" growled Wolf in satisfaction, his muzzle smeared with lifeblood.

Lamb sighed, lowering her bow and arrow, poised to fire.

"I thought that would be mine, too," she said mildly, "I've not had much in terms of prey today it seems."

"All the more for me!" said Wolf happily, "I like this guy, he gives us so much prey!"

"I don't," said Lamb, her usually neutral voice tinged with a hint of uncharacteristic sourness.

"That's because you're jealous of all my prey!"

Lamb shot a glance at her constant companion.

"It's not like that," she said.

"Whatever you say," said Wolf who materialised a paw and began wiping at his dripping face, licking off both paw and muzzle of delicious blood as he did so.

Lamb clicked her teeth in what was almost annoyance. It wasn't like this mortal was annoying her in particular. He was just some upstart mage who was good at killing people, it seemed. She was the one of the omnipresent aspects of death itself! One half of the mighty Kindred, a Champion of Runeterra! Just because this… _man_ was singlehandedly giving Wolf more hunts- high quality ones too- didn't mean she was irritated. Not at all. She didn't feel silly _human _things like emotion anyway.

"Who are you, skulking away in the shadows over there?" came a sudden cold voice.

Lamb definitely _did not _squeal in surprise, because almighty representations of death do not do human things like squealing… because they do not feel human emotions like surprise.

Wolf rolled over and cast a critical eye at her, before breaking into belly-busting guffaws that led to him rolling all over the grass, his tongue lolling out in mirth.

"What the hell was that?" he gasped out through his laughs, "Did you just _squeal?_"

"W-what? No! I do not '_squeal'_," said Lamb in what might have been indignation if she had been a human.

It must be said at this point that although her cheeks were red under her mask, she was _not_ blushing. Like surprise, embarrassment was a _human _emotion.

She adjusted her mask, coughed (which was a redundant action, really, because getting sick was something that really only happened to mortals) and straightened up.

"Like I said," she said, in a stronger, more composed voice, "I just did not expect that human to start talking like that. It was almost like he was directing that question to us. Very unexpected indeed."

"Lamb…" said Wolf lowly, "There are no other humans in this clearing."

"Oh my!" said Lamb, her voice quite a bit more high-pitched than it previously was, "Fancy that! This human seems to be a little insane! After all, he's talking to himself all of a sudden!"

"I know you're there. You've been following me for a while, you two. I can sense you watching me, you know," called out the hooded figure.

"Ahaha so maybe he's got a bit of a sixth sense… he's inherited the power of premonition or something. He can feel our awesome power, he fears our deadly aura. He-"

"You there, in the white, are you monologuing? Seriously? And that's a strange dog you've got there… doesn't seem to have any legs. Hmm… well, I've seen stranger things, I guess. But you know, for people who have been sneaking around watching me for so long you aren't anything like what I thought you'd be."

Lamb felt her jaw snap shut with an audible click. She purposely kept her gaze straight, avoiding looking in Wolf's direction, who she _knew _was starting to laugh again, despite just having finished his last set of giggles.

Despite her cheeks flaming, which was strange because she was incapable of blushing, as that's just not what she _does, _she kept her expression stoic and stern, as befitting an aspect of Death. Well, no one could see it under the mask, so it didn't really matter, but it was the principle of the whole thing that was important. Lamb cared a lot about trying to act in a matter appropriate for a manifestation of death.

"Oh hey, sweet mask! And you got your dog to wear one too! Cute."

Hearing the human talk to her in such a casual tone was making Lamb bite her lip so hard that it would've bled if she was mortal and could bleed. She couldn't feel irritation, she reminded herself, irritation was an emotion for humans.

She wondered why she wanted to shoot an arrow into his heart so badly though. It wasn't his time and he hadn't done anything to warrant it… but still, for some reason, she felt like shooting the human right then would have given her a lot of satisfaction. If she could feel satisfaction, that is.

But alas, that wouldn't be appropriate for one half of Kindred, the Eternal Hunters.

So she refrained.

Reluctantly.

"Whoa, that's a good costume! Are you supposed to be like… a sheep or something?"

Even though she really, _really _regretted that decision.


End file.
